Heart of a Dragon
by 62MoonParade
Summary: Heart of a Dragon is a retelling of the Avatar series with a new character thrown in. Darya was born in the Fire Nation, but her mother was an Air Nomad. After learning that Darya was also an airbender, she was sent to live with her mother's people. She was happy there, until the Fire Nation attacked.
1. Prelude

_Prelude_

 _Screaming, fire, smoke, and death surrounded her. Darya panicked as she saw a fire nation soldier prowling towards her with his sword drawn. Darya quickly sent an narrow blast of air at him, knocking him back. The soldier fell hard into the ground with a sickening crack and lay limp. Darya hurried over to him and felt his pulse, making sure he was still alive. A pulse fluttered lightly beneath her finger and she sighed in relief. She had no wish to kill someone, even if they were slaughtering her people._

' _Where is the Avatar?' She thought, searching the sky for his bison. Heart heart clenched as she noticed that there were not as many as there had been earlier that day. 'Maybe it's people escaping' she prayed._

" _Darya!" The voice of Monk Gyatso came from behind her and she spun around as he ran through the smoke._

" _Monk Gyatso, where is the Avatar?" Darya asked, looking worriedly at the large burn on the monks left arm._

" _He is not here, I pray he is safe." The monk coughed._

" _Gone! How could he leave us at our time of most need!" Darya roared in anger._

" _Calm your fire, Darya! He left last night, he knows nothing of this massacre." The monk paused, his face pained. "We cannot win this my dear. The Fire Lord has decided that airbenders are no longer necessary in this world. Thankfully the Avatar is not here, the world needs him desperately. But he needs a companion. Follow me."_

 _The monk ran past her, surprising Darya with his swiftness. Darya did not like his tone but she followed him as well. He had something up his sleeve and she would help him until she breathed her last breath. As they ran past the flames that were quickly devouring the beautiful gardens, Darya tried to block out the screams of her friends and family. Her heart was breaking but she continued to follow Monk Gyatso. After several more agonizing seconds they arrived at the entrance to the avatar's sanctuary. Quickly, Monk Gyatso airbended the doors open and stepped inside._

 _Darya followed, in awe at the sight of hundreds of statues before her. She had never been in this sanctuary before since it was strictly forbidden for any but the masters to enter. The heavy wooden doors slammed shut behind her and there was nothing but darkness. Then, suddenly the room was full of a soft blue light. It came from every statue, every eye and every arrow tattoo. Darya gasped at the beauty of it all._

" _What is happening?" she asked, walking behind the monk, who was delving further into the sanctuary._

" _I do not know. I pray it is the avatar bringing us help. Whatever it is, you must stay here with it. Aang will need someone who can guide him in this horrific times." Monk Gyatso said, stopping at the last statue. Darya looked at it._

" _Avatar Roku would be ashamed of how Fire Lord Sozin is behaving." Darya whispered. She turned back towards the monk. "What do you mean someone to guide Aang? Surely you are going to do that?"_

" _No my child, I am old and I must help my people. You are young but wise beyond your years. Hide here until the Fire Nation soldiers are gone. The Avatar will be back and he will need your help." the monk said sadly. Darya let out a choked sob and hugged Monk Gyatso with all of her strength._

" _Do not cry, Darya. You are a strong and beautiful airbender. I hope to see you after this, but if I do not, know that I have been proud to have you as a pupil." with that, Monk Gyatso kissed Darya on her forehead, making her sob even harder. With a final smile he left, a blast of heat and smoke billowing in from the open door. Darya quickly shut it, needing to fulfill Gyatso's orders._

 _She slunk back to Avatar Roku and curled up in a ball at his feet. She cried quietly for several more moments before there was no more sound from outside. She rose, waiting for Monk Gyatso to open the doors and tell her the soldiers had retreated or that their people had escaped. But the door did not open, and no one came. Unsure of what to do, Darya crept closer to the door, hoping to hear the sound of her friends outside, or Aang to have returned, but what she heard was worse._

" _Not that hard really." a harsh voice crowed._

" _Ha ha! Not at all Hizu! They didn't even fight back, it was liking hunting for turtle ducks." another high pitched voice whined._

" _We don't even have a casualty, the closest was Akai, and he just got knocked out." the first voice cackled._

 _Darya turned away from the door, not wanting to hear anymore. Something inside of her had burst and waves of hot fire was burning her inside. Fury like nothing she had ever experienced engulfed her, bleeding her sigh to red. She wanted nothing more than to open those doors and blast those men off the cliffs. No, they did not deserve to see the beauty of the land as they fell. Instead she would bend the air out of their lungs and watch them suffocate. In that moment she felt like she had the power to do that. As her hand moved to bend the door open, a voice interrupted her._

" _Stop! Calm your fire, child."_

 _Darya spun around as the unfamiliar voice used Monk Gyatso's saying. In front of her stood a spectral figure surrounded by a blue aura. He carried himself with grace and power, and Darya immediately recognized him._

" _A-avatar Roku." Dary stuttered and bowed deeply._

" _Rise." Roku ordered. Darya stood straight again and marvelled at the Avatar before her. "You have been charged with the protection of the Avatar by Monk Gyatso. He is a good friend of mine, and therefore I shall grant his wish."_

" _I don't understand?" Darya said._

" _No you do not, and that is why I am here. Come, sit by my statue." Roku motioned for her and she followed. She sat at the feet of his statue and she suddenly felt extremely drowsy. She had had an day full of horror and bloodshed, but she knew that this was from an otherworldly source. She looked up at Roku and saw that he no longer stood alone. An enormous dragon with the same aura towered over him. Darya's eyes widened a fraction but her heavy eyelids refused to move much more._

" _Dragon." she muttered before slumping over behind the statue._

" _Yes, Fang is my animal guide. He is here to help lend me strength. It takes an enormous amount of energy to suspend one person in time, let alone two." Roku growled as his and Fang's aura's grew. "Now sleep child, you will awaken when the time is right. The Avatar will wake you."_

 _With that, Darya's eyes closed and she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep._


	2. The Southern Air Temple

**Chapter 1 - The Southern Air Temple**

"Aang, something's coming!"

"Are they Fire Nation?"

"Shh, hide behind the statues. That soldier won't know what hit him."

"Hey wait, it's -"

"Lemur!"

Darya opened her eyes slowly, the light from the doorway nearly blinding her. _Wait, the door is open! Could it be?_

She could see the bleary outline of three people, but one stood out because of his arrow tattoos.

"A-ang?" her voice rasped with misuse. She began coughing. Her throat burned, in fact everything burned. She was sore all over and she didn't want to move.

"Hello? Is someone there?" The voice she recognized as Aang's called.

"Here." Darya rasped. She made to stand up and felt several arms help her up. She turned around, using the statue of Roku as support. Before her stood two members of the Water Tribe. The boy was about her age but the girl looked younger. And then her eyes fell upon Aang who was staring at her like he was seeing a ghost.

"Darya?" Aang whispered, as if he was afraid to break a spell. Darya felt tears prick her eyes. She nodded and Aang sprang into her open arms. They both fell crying onto the floor, holding each other desperately.

"Uh, can someone explain what's going on?" The Water Tribe boy asked rudely. The girl elbowed him. "Ow what was that for?" He yelped in protest.

"How are you alive?" Aang asked as they pulled away from each other.

"What do you mean? Monk Gyatso locked me in here to protect me from the invasion, and then Roku was here. Something about suspension. But I'm having trouble remembering what happened after that. I guess I fell asleep." Darya shook her head, trying to clear out the cobwebs.

"Invasion?" Aang asked her. Darya looked at him in shock, had he not seen the destruction outside? From the way those firebenders were talking, the whole temple was slaughtered.

"Didn't you see outside! I heard some firebenders through the door. They murdered _everyone_ Aang!" Darya yelled as loud as her sore voice allowed her too. Her anger was building again.

"What do you mean? Darya it's- I don't know how to tell you, but it's been 100 years since you fell asleep. I was trapped in an iceberg, Katara and Sokka found me." Aang muttered, unsure how his old friend would react.

Darya was stunned into silence. She could remember Avatar Roku's mysterious words now: _" It takes an enormous amount of energy to suspend one person in time, let alone two."_ They made sense now. Somehow, Avatar Roku had kept her and Aang alive for . . .

"ONE HUNDRED YEARS!" Darya screamed, suddenly overwhelmed. Her heart sped up and she felt dizzy. She needed to breath, to get out, to run.

So she did. She took off, out of the sanctuary and out into the bright sunlight. It burned her eyes but she didn't stop. She climbed the spiral staircase to her right out of memory and didn't stop running down the winding corridors until she found herself at the door to her room.

Darya paused before the plain yellow door, not wanting to see how dusty and old her room looked, but needing to all the same. She pushed gently on the door but it wouldn't open. She pushed again a little harder and it still wouldn't open. Growing frustrated with the door, she stood back and shot a blast of air at it. The door swung open on rusty hinges and Darya walked in. The smell of rot and dust was pungent, but the smell of flowers and fresh air also surprised her.

"Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise at the five foot hole that now resided in her wall. It looked like a flaming rock had smashed through the wall, the ancient charred rock lay innocently against the opposite wall. The covered of her bed was rotted and frayed, and dust covered everything. Her once littered dresser was bare of its trinkets and papers. Nothing had survived 100 years, but she knew that before she had opened the door.

She turned to look into her dusty mirror. She was surprised to see that she looked exactly the same as she had a hundred years ago. Her blonde hair shimmered in the daylight that shone in from the large hole, and she took note of the little scar she had on her left cheek from when she fell off a bison during her first flying lesson. Her green eyes looked older than they had before the attack, but other than that, nothing had changed.

"Darya!" Aang yelled from down the hallway. Darya jumped, startled out of her thoughts. She looked over to see Aang looking at her with worry while the other two looked at her with something close to awe.

"What?" Darya snapped. She immediately felt bad for her tone. "I'm sorry, it's been a long day, and I've only been awake for like ten minutes."

"It's ok. We understand. This has to be an awful thing to wake up to. We're just surprised to find another airbender. All our lives we thought they were extinct." The boy with the wolf tail said.

"Well I think Aang and I are the only ones left." Darya sighed and walked further into her room. The others followed her.

"I'm sorry about your wall, Darya." Aang whispered. Darya stared at the wall and felt a cool breeze blow in. Suddenly, unwanted and unexpected, laughter bubbled up from deep within her and Darya fell into a fit of giggles. The trio looked at her in surprise and worry.

"I'm sorry," Darya said as she gained control of her giggling and wiped a tear from her eye. "It's just that I always wanted a window in my room. But Monk Gyatso said that I would sneak out and cause trouble if I did."

"Which you did even without a window." Aang said, walking up to Darya's side. Darya looked down at the boy and smiled.

"It's not like you were any better. I don't know how they let you get your tattoos." Darya laughed, feeling the panic from earlier begin to melt away. So what if she was suddenly one hundred years in the future without any signs of aging, the Fire Nation had murdered her people, and her room was destroyed. At least Aang was still here.

She remembered Roku and Gyatso telling her to guide and guard him. How was she supposed to guide him when he was a better bender than her _and_ the Avatar? She would be sticking with him from now on though, that was certain. After all, he was all she had left. Darya was about to leave her room when the sun glinted off of something shiny under her bed. Darya gasped and shot forward.

"What's that?" Aang asked as Darya removed two short swords from under her bed. Darya stared at her beautiful blades, her heart swelling with happiness that her most prized possessions had survived for her to find them. In that moment, as she felt the leather of the hilts and the weight of the steel in her hands, Darya knew everything would be ok. The blades were no longer than her forearm and they were thin with twin dragons etched across the blades. She turned and smiled at Aang, who looked furious.

"What are _those_ , Darya! You know that there aren't supposed to be any weapons here!" Darya was a little surprised at Aang's fury, but she knew he was right. The Monk's didn't believe in violence, so no weapons were allowed. But Darya had never felt right about that. For years there had been rumors of war in the Fire Nation, and Darya felt a deep need to learn to fight. She had told herself that it was for self defense, but in her heart she wanted to fight. She didn't know how to fight using airbending, so she took to a double sword.

"This is why I was always sneaking out. I needed to learn to fight Aang. Monk Gyatso forbade me, and look where the airbenders ended up!" Darya said, defending herself. Her sorrow at the loss of her people fueled her.

"Violence is never the answer!" Aang shot back. "Did Monk Gyatso teach you nothing!"

"Don't bring him into this Aang! Only one soldier was injured during the massacre, and that was from me!"

"You killed someone!" Aang stepped back, looking sick.

"No, I just knocked him out is all. I couldn't kill someone." Darya said, stepping back from him slightly.

"What do you think those are designed to do." Aang said, it wasn't a question.

"They were supposed to protect our people, and now they will protect you." Darya said, conviction in her voice.

"What?" the trio said together.

"Monk Gyatso and Avatar Roku charged me to take care of you Aang, and I will do just that. I am no longer following the code of this temple, I am following new orders. I never fit in here anyways." Darya said, her sentence slowly dying off into a mumble.

"What do you mean? Is it because you don't have the weird arrow tattoos?" The boy asked. The girl elbowed him in the ribs. "What?"

"That was rude!" The girl scolded him. The boy looked uncomfortable and rubbed his neck.

"Actually yeah." Darya nodded.

"I was right!" The boy cheered, and then he realized he was about to get another elbow in the stomach. "Oh, I mean, uh, sorry."

"It's ok, I'll tell you about it after we leave." Darya said, waving her arms to dispel her sullen mood. She wanted stop feeling so awful and get back to being the joyful person she was a hundred years ago. "I want to see if anything else survived here first."

"Yeah where are we going now, Aang?" The Water Tribe girl asked gently while Darya poked around in the corners of her room.

"I want to explore around here more, if that's ok." Aang said. Suddenly the lemur that had been in the sanctuary earlier appeared in the hole in Darya's wall. It had a fruit in its mouth which it began to eat ferociously.

"Dinner!" The boy yelled and pounced on the lemur. Of course, being a lemur, it was much faster and flew off with the boy giving chase.

"Wait, Sokka, Aang!" The girl yelled as Aang took off after the two. The girl sighed and shook her head. "Those two are going to give me a heart attack."

"Please, Aang gives everyone a heart attack." Darya laughed. "So it's nice to meet you, Water Tribe I'm guessing?"

"It's nice to meet you too. I'm Katara, and that was my older brother Sokka. We're from the Southern Water Tribe." Katara introduced herself and the girls shook hands. Darya figured this girl must be a little younger than her, putting Sokka at around her age.

"Are you guys benders?" Darya asked, curiosity always getting the better of her.

"I am, but Sokka isn't. I'm not very good though. We're on our way to the Northern Water Tribe to find us teachers."

"This is a long way from the North Pole." Darya said, raising an eyebrow.

"Aang has us taking some detours…" Katara said, not looking particularly pleased with these detours.

Darya was about to ask about the detours when she felt the wind speed up unnaturally fast. She looked at Katara and could tell that the waterbender had felt it to. The two girls leapt to their feet and ran out of the building. They found Sokka staring at Aang in horror. Aang was enveloped whirlwind while his eyes and arrows glowed unearthly blue.

"What happened?" Katara shouted over the wind to Sokka.

"Aang discovered that the Fire Nation killed Monk Gyatso." Sokka yelled back, fear in his eyes.

Darya felt like she had been punched in the stomach. Monk Gyatso, her teacher, friend, and guide, had been murdered. Deep down, she knew he must have been, just like the rest of their people, but to hear it confirmed was something else. Darya looked at Aang and could understand his rage, it was building in her as well. The white hot anger she had felt the day of the invasion returned and there was no Avatar Roku to calm her down. However, the only thing to lash out at were her new friends, and the thought of hurting them was the only thing that kept her anger in check. While she wrestled with her anger, Katara tried to calm down Aang.

After several tense moments and comforting words, Aang was able to calm down enough to leave the Avatar state. He collapsed from exhaustion into Katara's arms.

"I'm sorry." He said, his voice hoarse.

"It's ok. We're here." Katara murmured as she stroked his back. Sokka moved over near them as well and put his hand on Aang's shoulder. The two boys smiled and Aang rose.

Darya watched as the last bits of her anger died away, leaving only sadness in its wake.

* * *

Before leaving, Darya had ran back to the sanctuary to grab her glider which had fallen there so long ago. She brushed off the dust and watched as the polished wood glistened. It was a bit larger that Aang's and much more decorative. Like her swords, Darya's glider had a dragon carved into it. The whole staff made the dragon, with the end being narrowed into a tail and the top had the head of a dragon snarling. Darya used airbending to open it to make sure the wings were in tact. Three pieces of red fabric burst out from the sides and the bottom. Darya grinned impishly at the pristine fabric, not a tear at all. The gliders wings were also shaped like a dragon's, creating a beautiful work of fierce art.

After packing up their gear and naming the lemur Momo, the four teenagers found themselves once more on top of Appa.

"I can't believe there's still a flying bison!" Darya shook her head in disbelief as they took off. As they leveled out, Darya stood up and whooped, spreading her arms wide.

"I'm so happy I could fly!" She laughed.

"Boy your emotions are all over the place." Sokka muttered.

"I heard that!" Darya growled, but then she laughed again. "What do you expect to happen when you wake up to find that all your friends and family are dead and you've been asleep for a hundred years? Oh and my people are the enemy now."

"Your people? But the airbenders are all gone." Katara said quizzically.

"Yeah what do you mean by that, Darya?" Aang asked as he climbed into the saddle. Darya looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Gyatso never told you?" She asked Aang. Aang shook his head.

"Alright hold onto your socks." Darya sighed as she settled down into a comfortable position. "My mother was an Air Nomad. She traveled in a caravan that went around the world to every nation. From what Gyatso told me she was very beautiful. She met a noble in her travels and ended up getting married and she stopped travelling."

"She stopped traveling? I've never heard of an airbender settling down other than at the temples. Even then they travel a lot." Aang interrupted. Sokka "shh'ed" him.

"Yeah she must have loved him a lot. I never met her though, because she died giving birth to me." Darya paused.

"I'm sorry about that." Katara said and put a comforting hand on Darya's knee. Darya smiled at her in thanks.

"Well anyway, she died so I spent the first five years of my life with my father. He lived in the capital city and was pretty important so I didn't see him much, but I remember that he was nice. It wasn't until then that we found out I could airbend. I don't remember how we found out but my father thought that it would better for me to live with airbenders. I was brought to the Southern Air Temple the year before you were born Aang. I think my father was probably disappointed I wasn't like him." Darya paused again, letting that sink in. Aang was the first to catch on.

"He wasn't an airbender?" Aang asked.

"My father was a firebender." Darya said. The trio gasped and launched a barrage of questions.

"Your dad was a firebender?"

"Wait if he was a noble didn't he know the Fire Lord?"

"You're Fire Nation!?"

"Stop!" Darya cried out, a headache growing quickly. "Yes I'm _half_ Fire Nation. And yes he did know the Fire Lord, and yes he was a firebender."

There's was a silence then.

"So that's why you never got your tattoos." Aang said.

"Yeah", Darya nodded. "And no. I mastered all of the moves, and even came up with a few of my own, but The Elders didn't think I fully understood the ways of an airbender. And they were right. I mean I snuck out every night to practice with my swords, not to mention all of my airbending moves are more aggressive than normal."

"So when the Elders would tell you to calm your fire-" Aang asked.

"They meant my inner fire that I carry from my dads side, yeah." Darya finished.

"Well I'm just glad I'm not the last airbender." Aang said, sitting back.

"And we could use another warrior." Sokka added.

Darya smiled and felt a tear sting the corner of her eyes.

"And it's nice having another girl on board." Katara said, causing Darya to laugh.

"Thanks guys. Now, it's been a hundred years since I've been on a bison, but I want to do some flying of my own." Darya grabbed her glider from its place tied to her small pack. She only had her swords, glider, and a set of clothes that were in decent shape.

She bent it open and the dragon's wings unfurled. Sokka's eyes bulged out of his head.

"Woah that's a seriously cool glider!" He said as he examined it closely.

"Thanks, Monk Gyatso knew how much I missed the Fire Nation so he made me this to remember it." Darya smiled at the memory.

"I'm just going to fly alongside you guys for a bit." Darya said as she jumped off of Appa and into the air. They flew for several hours before Darya landed back on the bison again. The rest of the gang were curled up asleep in the saddle.

"It's good to fly again." She sighed and found a spot in between Sokka and Aang. As she closed her eyes, her last feeling was of the wind I her hair and the smell of the leather saddle.


	3. The Warriors of Kyoshi

**Chapter 2 - The Warriors of Kyoshi**

"This is just great. You know I thought we were going to have grand adventures and save the world, but instead here we are." Darya growled moodily.

The group hadn't been on the island for more than half an hour before they had been ambushed. Now they found themselves tied together and blind folded.

"Show yourselves cowards!" Sokka challenged from beside her. Someone removed Darya's blindfold and light streamed in, causing her momentary blindness.

"Where are the men who captured us?" Sokka yelled. As her eyes adjusted, Darya could see half a dozen girls in makeup and armor. She sighed, Sokka was more dense than she thought.

"These _are_ the warriors, Sokka." Darya sighed, looking at the angry villagers behind the girls. They were dressed like farmers and they were all clearly very angry about the group of teenagers being on their island. She glanced behind the villagers and noticed that they were in the middle of a small town. The buildings were small and squat, with thatched roofs. Darya looked up at the post they were tied to and found they there was a statue of a woman dressed similarly to the warriors. She rolled her eyes as Sokka continued to stick his foot in his mouth.

"What? But you're girls! No way a bunch of girls took us down"

If Darya had her hands free she would have smacked her forehead.

"Bunch of girls huh? The unagi will eat well tonight." The warrior in the front sneered.

"No don't hurt him, my brother is just an idiot sometimes." Katara begged.

"It's my fault we're here, I just wanted to ride the elephant koi." Aang apologized.

The warriors didn't look convinced, and neither did the angry villagers behind them. An old man stepped forward to stand in front of Aang.

"How do we know you are spies from the Fire Nation? Kyoshi has stayed out of the war this far." He said, poking Aang in the chest.

"Wait Kyoshi? I know Kyoshi!" Aang said, ignoring the threat. Darya looked at Aang with an eyebrow raised.

"How could you? Avatar Kyoshi has been dead for centuries." The old man growled. _Ah, now it makes sense,_ Darya thought.

"I know her because I'm the Avatar." Aang said matter of factly. The old man looked stunned for a second, but before her could rely, the warrior from before spoke up.

"That's impossible, the last Avatar was an airbender who disappeared a hundred years ago!" She snarled.

"Yep that's me!" Aang smiled widely. The villagers were silent for a moment before the old man called for the imposters to be thrown to the unagi. Darya swallowed, not liking how their day was turning out.

"Aang," she whispered, "show them some airbending."

Aang immediately bended out of the ropes and floated back down to the ground. The villagers were once more shocked into silence, and once more the old man broke that silence.

"It's true, you are the Avatar!" He cried. The warriors quickly untied the rest of the group. Darya fell but quickly gained her balance by shooting a blast of air into the ground to right herself.

"It seems the Avatar is not the only airbender here." The old man said, shocked.

"No, there's two of us left." Darya said proudly.

"Yeah and check this out!" Aang said, stepping in front of the villagers. He pulled out a marble and began to bend it into a small circle. Darya sighed at the not so powerful display of bending, but was shocked as the village erupted in cheers. One man going so far as to froth at the mouth and pass out. Darya chuckled and watched as the villagers surrounded their Avatar.

* * *

After a lot of cheering, the group was shown into the old man's home. He introduced himself as Oyagi, the elder of the village.

"You may use my home for as long as you need to Avatar." Oyagi said jovially as he laid out dinner. "Please, tell me of your adventures so far."

Darya listened closely as well, since she hadn't heard all of their adventures yet either. Aang began by saying how he woke up only to find himself at the South Pole, meeting the southern water tribe, exploring the Fire Navy ship, and then how a prince had attacked them.

"Wait," Darya interrupted, "a prince attacked you?"

"Prince Zuko, yeah." Sokka snarled. "He tried to capture Aang but we fought him off."

"You mean Aang fought him off." Katara pointed out, deflating Sokka a bit.

"Why did you try to capture you?" Darya asked, surprised. "Wouldn't people w _ant_ the Avatar back?"

"I don't know, something about his honor. He's the prince of the Fire Nation though, that's all we know." Aang shrugged and then continued his story. Darya knew everything up until that point, so she zoned out and tried to figure out why someone would want to capture the Avatar. _I guess the Fire Nation doesn't want the Avatar to interrupt their war,_ she thought. She tried to picture him and came up with a man in his 40's with horrible teeth, greasy hair, and beetle black eyes. She laughed inwardly at her imagination.

"Well, this had been an exciting day, and I suggest that we go to bed since tomorrow will most likely be full of festivities. It isn't everyday that Kyoshi hosts the Avatar!" The old man said as he stood up. Darya and the gang followed suit, heading to their bedrooms.

As Darya shut the door on the room that Katara and her were sharing, she felt the weariness of the day weighing heavily on her. She yawned loudly and arched her back.

"Boy you look tired." Katara commented as she changed out of her clothes.

"Yeah, you would think that sleeping for a hundred years would mean I wouldn't need to sleep, but it's done the opposite!" Darya said as she changed as well. The two girls slipped into their beds.

"Goodnight Darya." Katara muttered.

"Goodnight Katara." Darya muttered back.

* * *

"We really should be leaving soon Aang." Katara said on the third morning of their stay on Kyoshi. Katara, Aang, and Darya were sitting around a table laden with food in honor of Aang. Sokka had been missing most of the time they had been there to train with the Kyoshi Warriors who had captured them on their first day on the island.

"Aww why though?" Aang whined.

"You know why, it's too risky to stay in one place for long." Katara said, ignoring Aang's childish whine.

"Because of Zuko?" Darya asked. _I don't see why else we have to leave,_ she mused.

"Exactly." Katara said.

"Fine, but can we at least spend the rest of the day here?" Aang asked. Katara's paused and then sighed.

"Yeah that's fine." She said. With that, Aang sprang up from the table and ran out of the doors.

"What's his hurry?" Darya laughed.

"He's got a new fan club." Katara sneered.

"Oh, don't tell me you're jealous!" Darya said, staring intently at Katara. Katara blushed slightly. "Oh you are!"

"No, I just think it's dangerous letting our presence be so well known. Zuko could wash up on shore any minute."

"Oh how dangerous could Zuko really be?" Darya said with a wave of her hand.

"He ran his ship through my village for one." Katara said darkly. Darya sobered a bit and dropped her joking tone.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot about that." Darya murmured an apology, rubbing the back of her head uncomfortably.

"It's fine." Katara sighed. "I'm going to go get supplies ready for our trip."

With that, Darya was left to sit alone at the table. She picked up a sweet roll and walked outside with it. _It's a nice day out,_ she thought absent-mindedly as she eyed the clear blue sky. _Maybe I'll fly around and see what I see._

With that thought in mind, Darya went back to her room to grab her glider. She was about the leave when she thought about what Katara said about Zuko showing up at any moment. She reached under her bed and pulled out her pack. From within it she pulled out her twin swords. The dragons caught the light and for a moment they looked alive. Darya swung them lazily for a moment before tucking them into the sash she had tied around her waste. Feeling prepared for anything, Darya ran out of the house and leapt into the air. A series of cheers followed her from the villagers in the street. Darya smiled, happy that they were happy about the survival of the airbenders.

She soared high into the beautiful morning sky and watched the village below. She saw Katara and Aang at a fruit stand while a gaggle of girls stood in the background. _Katara won't like that,_ Darya giggled. She knew jealously when she saw it, and it was written all over Katara's face that morning.

Darya swung back around so that she was over the bay. She circled there for a while, noticing a boat in the distance coming closer. Thinking it was just a fishing boat she began to fly back over the town. However she paused when she saw Aang once more surrounded by girls at the edge of the water. _Agni, will he stop showing off?_

She sighed and shook her head. She remembered Aang when he was little, and knew that he couldn't help but show off in front of his peers.

She flew back over the village and just circled there for a time, simply enjoying the feeling of flying and the sun on her skin. And then she heard a scream. Darya was so startled that she almost fell out of the sky. She looked below her and saw several firebenders on kimodo rhinos. Several of them had set a home ablaze. Darya went from calm to furious in a second. She dived down, enjoying the way her stomach swooped at the sudden drop. As the ground grew closer she could make out more details. At the moment, Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors were battling the firebenders, but it was hard to fight fire with fans. She could see Sokka dressed in the full garb of the Kyoshi warriors, make up and all. She would've laughed if not for the dire situation they were in.

Suki and Sokka were in the middle of the battle, fighting a soldier who stood out. He was young, not much older than herself, and bald except for a high ponytail and a scar that stretched across the left side of his face. Darya's anger was interrupted by two brief thoughts. The first was that he was a fierce fighter and clearly a master of his element. He spun and attacked, manipulating the flame in order to keep the two warriors at bay. The second was worse and she cursed herself for it. A small flutter in her stomach began for form and spread. _I should not be thinking a boy is cute when I'm about to attack him,_ she snarled at herself.

She landed in front of the scarred boy as he made to attack Suki and Sokka again. Darya shot a blast of air at him that hit him right in the stomach, forcing the boy to his knees. He coughed, and then stood again, snarling.

"What is this? You aren't that Avatar!" He howled.

"No, I'm right here." Aang said. Darya spun around to find Aang on top of one of the houses. He looked small but there was an aura of power that surrounded him. Darya was stunned for a moment to see her childhood friend like that.

"Finally!" The firebender yelled as he launched a terrifying attack on Aang. Darya felt her anger build again and she launched her own ferocious attack that interrupted the fireballs he had sent at Aang.

"Aang get out of here, I'll hold him off." Darya yelled, praying Aang would listen to her. However, she didn't have much time to think as the firebender spun around and shot a wave of fire at her. Darya snarled and met the flame head on, surprising the firebender. She spun a funnel of air through the fire, making the flames grow. However they turned direction and the firebender found himself being attacked by his own flame.

Darya didn't allow her slight edge to be lost as she formed a ball of air in her hand. She spun it around quickly and began to compress it, letting the air build heat before launching it. The firebender stepped out of the way but he stumbled and fell. Darya sent a wall of air at him as he tried to stand up, knocking him through the wall of the house behind him. Darya couldn't help but laugh when she saw his shocked face fly away from her and into the dark of the house.

Taking advantage of the momentary lapse in battle she looked around and saw nothing but carnage. She was suddenly brought back to when the temple was attacked. The smoke even smelled the same. _Not again..._ she thought in misery, her happiness at her triumph now forgotten. She thought she heard the phantom call of Monk Gyatso through the fire.

She was brought out of her reverie by the sight of Appa soaring away. _Thank the spirits, Aang got away._ She leapt into the air and unfurled her glider. A ball of fire blazed past her and she looked down at who cast it. The boy with the scar glared up at her. Darya smiled at his angry face and the butterflies in her stomach goaded her into doing something foolish.

She twirled around in the air and gave the boy a flirty wave and a wink, nearly falling out of the sky with laughter at his stunned face. Darya continued to soar up into the clouds until she was next to Appa.

"Darya you're ok!" Katara cried out in joy. Darya turned her glider so that she could safely jump onto Appa.

"Yeah I'm fine." She said as Katara hugged her. Sokka was grinning wolfishly and Aang was silent on Appa's head.

"You guys are ok too it seems. Sokka, what is that face for?" Darya asked.

"Suki kissed me." He sighed dreamily. Darya laughed and sat down as Katara went to comfort Aang.

"I know it's hard, but you did the right thing." Darya heard the waterbender say. "Zuko would have destroyed the whole village if we had stayed."

Darya's heart plummeted.

"Wait _Zuko was there_?" She screeched, praying she was wrong in her guess at who the prince was. The trio jumped and stared at her.

"Yeah, you know, moody guy with the big scar?" Sokka looked at her as if she was crazy. Darya groaned and hid her face in her hands. _Stupid, why am I so stupid_.

"Darya what's wrong?" Katara asked. "I saw you fighting him, did he burn you?"

"You don't want to know." Darya mumbled from behind her hands.

"What's going on?" Aang asked.

"I may or may nothaveflirtedwithhim." Darya said quickly looking up at the shocked faces of her friends.

"What?!" They all shouted in unison. Darya held up her hands in defense.

"I didn't know it was Prince Zuko ok! I just thought, I don't know! Maybe it's because I've been asleep for a hundred years or I'm a sucker for bad guys but I thought he was cute! So after kicking his ass I may or may not have winked at him." Darya ground out, slumping over in embarrassment.

The trio still looked stunned until Aang started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Darya growled, not enjoying being laughed at.

"It's just that I'm imagining Zuko's face when you did that." Aang continued to laugh. Darya smiled and then began laughing to at the memory.

"His chin was touching the ground. I think he may have wet himself." Darya giggled. Katara and Sokka started to join in the laughter. Soon the four friends were taking turns explaining how they thought Zuko was reacting to Darya's flirting. They laughed and joked well into the night, all trying to forget the destruction that was behind them.

* * *

Back on board the Fire Nation ship, a certain prince was in a rage.

"How could I lose him! He was right there, I almost had him! If it wasn't for that damn girl! Who was she anyway? I thought the airbenders were gone!" Zuko roared, smoke coming off his clenched fists.

"Calm your fire, Prince Zuko, before you burn down the ship." Iroh said, watching the candles flair dangerously.

"How can I calm down when there are now _two_ airbenders out there." Zuko fumed, but he was calming down.

"We are on their trail, so we will find out soon. I am curious about this girl you told me about. Lieutenant Jee made it sound like she fought with the ferocity of a firebender." Iron commented. Zuko was silent for a moment, recalling the battle with the girl. He remembered her wave and wink with a faint blush, making him even angrier.

"She did." He sourly admitted.

"What was that?" Iroh asked, unbelieving that his nephew paid someone a compliment, let alone a young girl who had left him bruised from head to toe.

"I said she _did_ fight like a firebender. She used moves different that the Avatar did. He dodged but she attacked. I don't think she went on the defense once." Zuko said, replaying the battle over and over again.

"Where is Jee? I need to spar." Zuko said suddenly.

"You need rest Zuko." Iroh insisted.

"No, I need to train. Next time we meet, that girl is dead." Zuko swore, his eyes like burning embers as he thought about the girl who had bested him.


	4. The Winter Solstice (parts 1 and 2)

**Chapter 3 - The Winter Solstice (parts 1 and 2)**

"I don't feel right letting him go off all alone." Darya fussed as she watched Aang stand alone by the village gates. "Avatar Roku himself told me to protect him."

"This is what he does, Darya. He has to do somethings on his own anyway." Katara comforted her.

"Plus we'd just get in his way." Sokka added. Darya wasn't convinced, but she kept her thoughts to herself. From her veiw at the window she watched as Aang began to walk back towards the main hall.

"Did he do it?" One of the villagers asked.

"It looks like it!" Katara said happily. Darya sighed and looked down at her hands which were shaking slightly. She had the terrible feeling something very bad was about to happen.

Her fears came true when a collective gasp came from the villagers around the windows. Darya looked up to see a giant black and white spirit behind Aang. It roared and struck a house with extreme speed. Darya watched in horror as Aang tried to calm the spirit down, but nothing happened. In fact, it began attacking Aang.

"That's it's he needs help!" Sokka yelled and ran out the doors with Darya hard on his heels.

"Sokka, Darya, wait!" Katara yelled back, but Darya ignored her. She would be damned if she let something happen to Aang. He was her charge and she wouldn't let anything hurt him, human _or_ spirit.

Sokka threw his boomerang at the spirit but the spirit dodged it with unnatural speed. In retaliation the spirit grabbed Sokka and began to make its way out of the village. Darya roared and sent a wave of air at the beast. It was knocked sideways with a growl. It turned back to her and snarled. Darya prepared another attack, but in a flash the beast had swept her up in its arms and had taken off into the woods.

"Let me go!" She roared and tried to move, but the spirit was too strong. She looked over to see Sokka attempt the same tactic and with similar success.

"Let them go!" Came a voice to Darya's left. Relief washed over her as she saw Aang flying along side them.

"Hei Bei _please,_ let them go!" He called again. Darya watched as Aang reached for them, but hope turned to horror as Aang began to fade away.

"No! Aang!" Darya screamed, terrified.

Suddenly, she was alone in a bamboo forest. There was no Aang, no Sokka, and no Hei Bei. _Where am I?_ She thought. She couldn't even see the sky due to the thickness of the bamboo.

A branch snapped to her right and she swung around, attempting to send a blast of air at whatever it was. However, nothing happened.

"Why can't I airbend?" She said out loud, looking at her hands. Airbending was a part of her identity. Without it, she felt hollow and fractured.

"Please save me Aang…." She whispered as another branch snapped. The branches quickly parted to reveal a surprising figure.

"Avatar...Roku?" Darya asked, stunned by the sudden appearance of the deceased Avatar. Avatar Roku moved forward until he was only a few feet from Darya. He held out his hand and placed it on her head.

"It will be alright, Aang is on his way to see me now." Roku told her before she could say anything else. "I have only a moment before I must go. However, I must warn you now that there will be trouble up ahead. The fate of the world lies in the hands of the Avatar, but the fate of the Fire Nation rests in yours. Follow your heart and you will know what to do."

Darya couldn't think of what to say to that. _The fate of the Fire Nation is in my hands? But I'm not firebender, not to mention I'm not much of anybody._ She thought to herself as Roku began to walk away.

"Wait!" She called out to him. Roku paused and turned back to face her. "I need more details than that. How do I have anything to do with the Fire Nation? And what does my heart have to do with it?"

"The only thing I can tell you is that you will be betrayed. But the length and severity of the betrayal rely on you and your choices. Listen to your heart. It sees what the other senses do not." With that, Roku vanished into the bamboo.

"Avatar Roku, wait!" Darya cried. But at that moment she heard her name being called.

"Who's there?" She called out.

"Darya!" It was Aang!

"Aang!" Darya ran through the bamboo, ignoring the way that it scraped her arms and legs, but instead ran towards the voice of her friend. Darya felt like she ran for hours, never stopping, and never getting tired. Suddenly she burst out of the trees and found herself in the village again. She stopped quickly before she ran into Sokka who was right in front of her looking weary.

"Darya!" He looked up, startled at her sudden entrance.

"Darya!" Aang yelled as he barreled into her and threw his arms around her. Darya was pleasantly surprised to get such a warm welcome.

"I wasn't gone for too long I hope?" She asked as Aang untangled himself from her.

"Everyone else came back from the spirit world but you! I've been yelling for hours!" Aang said, tears threatening around his eyes.

"What? Oh that is probably Roku's fault." Darya said, hoping to comfort Aang.

"Roku? You spoke to Roku?" Aang asked.

"Yeah, he told me some stuff. Something about following my heart and other, you know, stuff." She did _not_ want to get into what Roku had said. "But he said he had to go meet you. Didn't he talk to you?"

Aang looked away with an unreadable emotion on his face, which Darya noted was very unusual for him.

"No, I met his dragon though. I need to get to Roku's statue by the solstice to talk to him." Aang said solemnly. Darya nodded.

"Well that's only a day away so we need to get going. How far is it?" She asked. Not she knew the emotion that flitted across Aang's face: fear. She tensed.

"It isn't far, but that's not the issue. It's in the Fire Nation."

* * *

"At least it's a nice day." Darya said cheerfully, trying to lighten the mood. The other three looked at her sourly.

"Fine then, you guys mope, but you should find comfort in the little things, like nice weather!" Darya sighed, determined to be in a good mood. She looked out across the ocean and sighed again. They had been flying through the night and the sun was now nearly at its zenith. _I'll be home soon I suppose,_ she thought as she looked at the sun. Darya hadn't been to the Fire Nation since she left with the monks 111 years ago. It was strange to think that the nation which was now the enemy was her home over a hundred years ago. _I need to stop thinking so much,_ Darya chastised herself, feeling her good mood slip.

"Aang, we have trouble." Katara said, an edge to her voice that made Darya turn around.

"And it's gaining fast!" Sokka added. Darya went over to them and looked down at the ocean waters. She felt her heart give a silly little flop and her good mood rose. Below her, glaring up, was Zuko. Darya watched as he lit a fireball and then she heard a faint: "Fire!"

"Fire ball!" Katara yelled.

"I've got this!" Darya said, eager to move. She leapt off of Appa and opened her glider to meet the fireball. She soared at it and when she was almost at it she folded her glider back with a florist and sent a blast of air at the fireball, causing it to explode. She let herself free fall for a few moments, enjoying the heat from the fire and the wind in her hair before snapping her glider open again.

"Damn it!" She heard Zuko yell from below her as she passed over their ship. She spun her glider around again to intercept another fireball.

"Language!" She yelled down at the prince as she sent another air wave through the fireball they were still setting up.

Zuko looked up at her with all the fury he could muster, and it sent a chill down Darya's spine. _What is wrong with me, why couldn't I find a normal guy attractive!_

Darya flew quickly back up to Appa and landed with a flourish, grinning like an idiot.

"Now that you're done flirting with your boyfriend, we have an even bigger problem." Sokka sneered. Darya chose to ignore his comment for the moment as her breath was stolen by the new problem. Before them lay a line of Fire Nation ships. Everyone of them had a fireball ready to launch.

"What do we do?" Katara asked.

"Run the blockade!" Sokka yelled.

"Appa! Yip yip!" Aang said as he flicked the reins. Appa roared and flew higher to avoid the oncoming fireballs. They flew above the clouds only for fireballs to come steaming after them. They all screamed as Appa dodged the inferno gracefully. Darya formed a whirlwind and to try and keep the worst of the fire away from Appa. As soon as the fire storm started, it was over and they were clear of the blockade.

Darya breathed a sigh of relief and looked back, only to see smoke pouring from Zuko's ship in a stream of black.

"Oh no." She said sarcastically under her breath. Zuko's ship sailed through the blockade and continued its pursuit. She couldn't tell if she was happy or not. She was glad he seemed ok, but she also didn't want him following them. That wasn't entirely true either though, a small part of her wanted him to catch up. She wanted to see him, to fight him, to tease him. That voice scared her enough that she decided to push the whole thing out of her mind. Darya turned back to look at her friends and make sure everyone was ok.

"We got into the Fire Nation...great." Sokka said, looking anything but pleased. Darya went over and patted him on the back.

"Hey at least we're alive!" She said.

"You're just happy because you're back where you were born." Sokka said not unkindly.

"Sokka!" Katara chastised.

"No he's right, I think. I'm not sure how I feel, to be honest. The Southern Air Temple was my home, but so what the Fire Nation. Granted that was a long, long, _long_ time ago, but it was still home." Darya said, shrugging.

* * *

After another hour of uninterrupted flying, the sun was getting dangerously low. Darya was about to say something when Aang shouted.

"There it is! The island that Roku's dragon took me to!" He said, pointing to an island that was small and crescent shaped. Darya watched in awe as the volcano on it belched out a river of lava.

"It's beautiful." She murmured quietly. Katara turned to her and nodded in agreement. Aang pulled Appa into a dive and within a few moments they had landed.

"You did it buddy!" Aang said as Appa rolled over and quickly fell asleep. Aang laughed and began walked up to the temple. The rest of the gang followed along after him. The hard, red ground of the island was intimidating to look at, but the terrain was pretty manageable, and the group of teenagers found themselves inside the temple quickly. Aang was about to continue when Sokka stopped them with his arm.

"Wait, I think I heard something." He said. They all turned around and were surprised to find five elderly sages staring at them unkindly.

"We are the Fire Sages. Guardians of this temple of the Avatar." The eldest said, taking a step forward.

"Great!" Aang said, smiling, "because it the Avatar!"

Darya tensed as she saw the sage take a firebending stance. She held onto her glider tightly, annoyed that she had left her swords on Appa.

"We know." The sage said as he let loose a stream of fire. Darya leapt in front of Aang and shot her own blast of heated air back at the sage. The sages staggered back, clearly unready for an attack.

"Run! I'll hold them off!" She yelled. Aang, Katara, and Sokka took off down the hall as fast as they could. Darya gathered air and held it close to her. When one of the sages sent fire at her again, she let it go, using their fire to heat the air wave. The sages were tossed back against the wall like dolls and groaned in pain from their burns.

Darya ran after her friends and found them cornered in a hallway. She heard footsteps behind her and she took a fighting stance in front of Aang. She would die defending him from these trailors if she had to. A sage appeared around the corner, but before she could attack, he threw up his hands in surrender.

"I don't want to fight you!" The sage cried.

"Firebenders aren't our friends." Sokka snarled, pushing his way next to Darya.

"I know why you are here, Avatar, and I wish to help you. Please, follow me." The sage said as he opened a secret passage in the temple wall. Darya looked back at Aang, waiting for him to decide what to do.

"Ok, let's go." Aang said hesitantly. Darya nodded and lead the way into the tunnel. She didn't trust the sage yet and she wanted to keep herself between him and Aang.

"I am Shyu. Avatar Roku once called this island his home. He made these passages." The sage said.

"Did you know Avatar Roku?" Aang asked, hopeful. The sage laughed. They continued into the dark passageway, Darya feeling slightly claustrophobic like any airbender in a tight space.

"No, but my grandfather did. Many generations of sages have guarded this temple, but in your absence they have lost their way. They now serve the Fire Lord." Shyu said sadly. Aang looked down in shame. They walked for a few more minutes before they reached a ladder.

"Up we go." Shyu said, leading the way up the ladder. Darya came next, still not entirely sure about trusting Shyu. They all gathered in a large hall. Darya gazed in awe at the dozens of beautiful dragon sculptures that supported the ceiling. She found herself entranced by a particularly fierce one next to her. She lifted her hand to touch it's wooden hide.

"No!" A cry from Shyu broke her from her reverie. She spun around, ready to attack.

"The doors are shut!" Shyu cried again.

"Can't you open them?" Katara asked.

"Only a fully realized Avatar could have the power to open that door. Otherwise all five sages are needed to open in." Shyu said in despair. Darya's stomach sunk, they were now trapped.

"Five fire blasts, huh?" Sokka said, scratching his chin.

"What's that face for?" Darya asked. She narrowed her eyes at him, nervous of whatever idea he was about to say.

"I've got a trick that our dad taught me. All it takes is a little lamp oil inside of an animal skin casing. Shyu will light the twine that sticks out and blam! Fake firebending!" Sokka said as he gathered the supplies from around the room.

"That's actually genius, Sokka." Darya said, pleasantly surprised.

"You don't have to sound so surprised!" Sokka snapped. Darya waved him off with a giggle. Sokka blushed and set back to work. Sokka quickly tied the animals skins tight and stuffed them into each of the dragons mouths on the door. Then, they all fell back behind a pillar. Shyu sent a wave of fire to ignite the bags of lamp oil and they ignited immediately. Darya watched in awe as they each exploded with a loud _bang!_ that filled the room.

Aang ran forward through the smoke and pulled the handle of the door. It didn't move.

"It's still locked." He said, disappointed.

"It didn't work." Sokka said quietly as he stared at the doors.

"Why won't it open!" Aang yelled and blasted the doors with air, doing no damage.

"Aang stop! There's nothing we can do." Katara said gently as she put a hand on Aang's shoulder. Sokka walked past them and drew his finger along the ashes left behind from the blast.

"I don't get it." He said as he inspected the hole. "That looked as strong as any firebending I've ever seen."

"That's it!" Darya shouted, startling everyone out of their misery. "Sokka, you genius!"

"Did the definition of genius change in the last hundred years?" Aang said sarcastically.

"No, it looks like it worked, don't you see? The sages had to have heard that blast. When they come up here, they'll see the ashes and think Aang is inside!" Darya said and she clapped her hands.

"I get it!" Aang said happily, immediately cheering up. They all turned as they heard steps drawing quicker to the hall.

"Hide! I'll tell them you got in!" Shyu said as he ushered them behind the pillars. Darya darted behind the dragon that had caught her attention earlier and crouched low, staying in the shadows. She watched as the other sages ran into the room and Shyu telling them that the Avatar was in there. The sages quickly opened the door.

"Now Aang!" Shyu yelled. Darya darted forth with Sokka and Katara. She leapt on the nearest sage and pulled his hat down over his head. She looked over to see the other fire sages subdued, but Aang was nowhere in sight.

"Aang?" Darya yelled, worry bubbling up her throat.

"The Avatar is coming with me." A voice which chilled Darya to the bone spoke. Zuko stepped from behind one the pillars with Aang captured in front of him.

"No!" Darya yelled ferociously. She made to leap at Zuko, but the sage she had just held grabbed her with surprising strength. She tried to airbend but the sage grabbed her arms and forced them behind her back painful. He then kicked her legs out from under her and Darya fell with a yell of pain. She turned and glared at the sage behind her, making him gulp slightly.

She turned back around and watched as Zuko pushed Aang towards the stairs. At the top of the stairs though, Aang performed a swift airbending move and twisted out of Zuko's grip. Unbalanced, Zuko fell down the stairs. Darya winced, knowing that couldn't have felt good, but feeling little sympathy.

Aang rushed the slowly closing doors and lept through them just as they were about to close. A flash of pure white light enveloped the room as the doors slammed shut.

"Yes!" Darya couldn't help but cheer. She was on her knees and at the mercy of a bunch of firebenders with their enemy glaring daggers at her, but she couldn't care less. They had succeeded in their mission. All that was left was to escape, but Darya felt like the hard part was done. Now was time for some fun.

Darya watched as Zuko stalked over to the head sage, who just so happened to be the one holding her. He stood above her with a sinister smile on his face.

"Not so fun being tied down, eh airbender?" He sneered at her. Darya glared back at him. _Prideful and arrogant, I can sure pick them_ , she sighed mentally.

"Well your company makes it a bit more bearable." She sneered back. Zuko's composure seemed to crack slightly as rage glowed in his amber eyes. He huffed and turned to look at the head sage.

"What happened?" He growled, and Darya felt the sage tremble at his ferocity.

"We were betrayed by Shyu, one of our own." The sage said.

"Chain these four up and help me open these doors, now!" Zuko barked. The sage handed Darya over to Zuko and ran off to find chains. Darya felt Zuko's hand wrap around her wrists tightly. She hated herself for the light blush that crept up her cheeks and the way her heart did another little flip flop. She noticed how hot his temperature was, it almost felt like his hands would burn her. Then she remembered seeing the smoke roll off his hands and the fire he wielded. Suddenly afraid for her hands, she squirmed a little to loosen his hold.

"You're not going anywhere airbender." Zuko's voice whispered silkily in her ear. Darya felt her light blush turn crimson, and suddenly they were the only two in the room. "My father will be very pleased to finish what his grandfather started. Once you are in the capital city he'll make you an example to all the other little rebellious benders."

Darya felt fear grip her then. She hadn't thought about it, but it would make sense for Ozai to kill her in front of everyone. Sozin had tried to eliminate all of the airbenders, and he had obviously failed by two. The Fire Lords did not enjoy looking like fools.

"Well, I hope I at least get a nice dress. It's not everyday one gets murdered in front of an audience." Darya growled back, trying to show him that she was not afraid, despite her true feelings.

Zuko chucked darkly, and lowered his voice to a tone that sent a pleasant thrill through Darya. _Get a hold of yourself, Darya! He just threatened to kill you!_ She scolded herself.

"You won't be so confident when you are on your knees in front of the Fire Nation." Zuko taunted.

"I'm on my knees in front of you, I don't think it can get much worse." Darya snapped back. She turned her head to the right to try and see his face, only to be greeted with it far closer than she thought it would be. She froze and blushed again. _Oh boy, Darya stop it. Those are not the thoughts you should be having in the LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION!_ She roared to herself. But she couldn't help but find the bright fire in his eyes entrancing, or the way his scar made him seem fiercer.

"Here are some chains!" The sage interrupted her thoughts, to Darya's relief. Zuko tugged her to her feet and threw her against the dragon she had hid behind before. She looked up at the snarling reptilian face as chains were wrapped around her body.

"You don't look so nice anymore." She sighed. "I take it back, you still look cool."

"Uhh, Darya, did you hit your head?" Sokka asked her, looking at her with worry. His eyes flashed from her to Zuko and back in quick succession.

"Nope, just talking to my dragon friend here." Darya said, giving him a bright smile, anything to hide the uneasiness that had settled in her belly. Something didn't feel right. Of course she was chained to a post by the man who just threatened to kill her, but it was more than that, something else was coming. That something else walked through the doors right as Zuko finished chaining them to the dragon.

"My my, Prince Zuko, a traitor, an airbender, and the Avatar, all in one day? The Fire Lord will be pleased with me." A Fire Nation soldier sauntered into the room followed by a dozen soldiers.

"Zhao." Zuko snarled, pure hatred in his eyes. Darya looked Zhao over and could tell that he was a high ranking officer. She immediately disliked him. The angry fire that often lay calm in her chest sparked to life.

"Don't be so rude, you there, grab him." Zhao motioned for one of his soldiers to grab Zuko. There was a brief struggle, but soon Zuko was subdued.

"Tie him up with the rest of those peasants." Zhao ordered.

The chains around them were loosened enough for Zuko to be stuffed in between Darya and Sokka.

"You've got to be kidding me." Darya sighed, she could not catch a break it seemed.

"You're too late Zhao!" Zuko shouted, "the Avatar is already inside and the doors are sealed."

"Not so loud." Darya growled. She heard Sokka laugh and that made her smile. Zuko turned to glare at her.

"No matter. Sooner or later he has to come out." Zhao said calmly, stepping closer to Zuko. The two men stared at each other, daring the other to back down. Unfortunately for Darya, Zhao got distracted from this game and turned to her.

"So you are the other airbender hmm? You are much prettier than I expected." His false warmth sent a wave of revulsion down Darya's spine, and she found it hard not to gag. Zhao moved his hand to lift a lock of her blonde hair. Darya lifted a lip in disgust and moved her head to try and put some space between them.

"Don't touch her." Zuko snarled. Darya looked at him in surprise to find a matching look on his own face. He was much quicker to hide it however.

"Oh? And why not? She is _my_ prisoner, not yours." Zhao hissed.

"Hey, I'm not anyone's anything!" Darya snapped at both men.

"Yes, you _are_ my prisoner now. Soon you will be the Fire Lord's. I would get used to being owned girl." Zhao said smoothly and walked away from the two of them.

Darya let out the breath she had been holding and let her head fall back to its original position.

"That guy is seriously messed up." Sokka said from the other side of Zuko.

"You don't need to tell me twice." Darya said, failing at suppressing a shudder.

"Will you two shut up." Zuko snapped.

"Touchy." Darya said, trying to tease him, but she still felt somewhat violated by Zhao, and it ended up sounding slightly hollow. She hoped Aang would help them out soon.

"When those doors open unleash all your firebending power." Zhao said, ordering his men. The soldiers stood in position and waited for the doors to open. They didn't have to wait long. The doors began to creak slowly open, nothing but black on the inside and two blue dots and a blue arrow.

"Aang no!" Katara screamed. But it was too late.

"Fire!" Zhao commanded. The firebenders loosed a torrent of fire. The heat from it stung Darya's eyes. She watched in awe as the flames were stopped at the door and formed a giant whirlwind of fire. The firebenders stopped and stepped back as the fiery vortex moved into the room. At the center of it, Darya saw a familiar figure.

"Avatar Roku!" She called out with joy.

"What?" Zuko exclaimed in disbelief beside her.

Avatar Roku released the fire and it engulfed the room, sending flames through the entire island as well. The chains that had bound them suddenly disappeared in the fire and Darya fell free. She quickly sprung from the floor and dove for her glider. Once it was safe in her hands once again she looked around the room.

It was chaos. Avatar Roku had split the room in half. Lava was bubbling up from a huge crack in the floor. Zuko had run for the stairs immediately, without looking back.

"Avatar Roku is destroying the island!" Shyu cried in fear. Darya searched for Katara and Sokka. She found them moving to where Roku had just stood. In his place was a weary Aang. Darya ran over as Katara helped Aang stand. She grabbed his other arm and together they hoisted him back on his feet.

"Can you walk?" Katara asked kindly. Aang just nodded and began following Darya's guidance. They made it to a hole in the wall and stared out in horror. Lava surrounded them and cut off any path off the island.

"We're trapped!" Sokka cried out.

"Wait look!" Aang said, pointing a shaking finger. Appa and Momo burst out of the smoke from the burning island. The four teenagers cheered and leapt onto their savior.

"Get us out of here, Appa!" Darya sang, happy to be in the air once more. Appa roared in response, then rose up above the clouds so they couldn't be followed. Darya sank back into the saddle, breathing in the comforting smell of leather.

"That was too close." Sokka said.

"You're telling me." Katara said from next to him.

Aang was silent. Darya looked up and could see something was troubling the young Avatar. She got up from her seat and moved over to him, wrapping an arm around him in comfort.

"It'll be ok." She said, not knowing what else she could say. Katara and Sokka, and then Momo joined in on the comfort. Together the group of teenagers flew high above the ocean below with the moon guarding them from above.


	5. The Waterbending Scroll

**Chapter 4 - The Waterbending Scroll**

"Aang, I normally trust your judgement, but I don't think we should be here." Darya whispered in the Avatar's ear.

"Yeah I agree, let's get out of here." Katara said, joining the two airbenders. Darya knew that the young waterbender was very brave, so she was curious as to why Katara was shaking like a leaf.

"Katara, are you ok?" Darya asked.

"I would just feel better if we got off this ship." Katara said, hugging her sides.

"Ok, let's go." Darya said, her tone making it clear she in charge. Katara left ahead of her. Darya had to practically drag Sokka out however.

"Hey, I was just starting to browse their boomerangs." Sokka said moodily. Darya chuckled.

"Let's get out of here." Katara said, interrupting Sokka. Darya nodded and began to lead the group away from the pirate ship.

They didn't make it far when a cry was heard from the ship.

"Hey you, get back here!" One of the Pirates yelled.

"Well, it looks like they've come to their senses!" Aang said proudly, walking back to the ship with his chest puffed out.

His chest fell a moment later when a dozen pirates jumped out of the ship and stood in front of them. Darya eyed them and saw that each one carried a different type of weapon. _Agni! That's it, I'm never leaving my swords behind again!_ Darya cursed her foolishness and pulled out her glider instead.

"Aang, I don't think these pirates are here to trade with us!" Katara yelled.

"Run!" Aang yelled, and the group dashed off. The pirates yelled behind them and followed. Darya looked behind her as the pirates split into two groups.

"Aang, they're going to try and cut us off." She yelled, hoping he heard her. The group dashed down an alley and leapt over and around a cabbage cart. As they flew past it, Darya sent a wave of air behind her, causing the cart to fly back and knock over their pursuers. They ran around another corner and found that it lead to nowhere. Darya spun around and took a fighting stance as the pirates came into view.

"Who wants to taste my blade first?" The pirate in the front sneered, twirling his blades. Darya was about to attack, but Aang was quicker. He sent the dust on the ground whirling, giving them cover.

"Darya grab Sokka!" Aang called. Darya rushed over and saw Aang take to the sky with Katara holding on.

"Hold on tight." She told Sokka as he grabbed her legs. They shot into the sky above the pirates who yelled in confusion. The two airbenders flew until the port was long gone and Appa and Momo were in front of them.

Darya landed ungracefully, not used to having an extra person with her. She skidded to the ground and used airbending to keep on her feet.

"Ow! You need to work on your landings!" Sokka barked from his spot on the ground.

"You should loose some weight and it won't be a problem!" Darya snapped back teasingly. Sokka huffed and Darya giggled.

"Boy, I used to admire pirates but those guys were awful!" Aang exclaimed, watching as Darya and Sokka continued to tease each other.

"I know," Katara said, smiling slyly. "That's why I took this!" She drew out the waterbending scroll she had been admiring earlier with a flourish. Darya was dumbfounded, she couldn't believe Katara had had the guts to steal from pirates. _Well, good for her!_ She thought to herself, impressed.

"No way!" Aang said, his face a mix of happy and angry.

"No wonder they were after us! You stole their scroll!" Sokka yelled, getting in Katara's face.

"I prefer to think of it as 'high-risk trading'." Katara giggled, very satisfied with herself. Darya laughed and patted her on the shoulder.

"Hey, you hear no complains from me!" Darya grinned.

"Well let's see what we can learn from it." Aang said happily, dragging Katara to the river side as Sokka stalked away.

"Be back by sunset! I'm going to set us camp." Darya called after them. Aang replied with a wave. Satisfied that her friends would return soon, she began setting up the tent.

"Sokka, would you get some firewood?" She asked the sulking Water Tribe boy.

Sokka merely huffed and walked away. Darya laughed again, finding no end to the amusement she felt when Sokka was grumpy. _I just can't take that goof seriously._ She said to herself.

* * *

Several, hours later, Darya was woken by someone walking past her. She opened her eyes quickly and was about to draw her swords, which she decided to keep near her after the instance with the pirates, when she saw that it was just Katara. She was about to go back to sleep when she noticed that Katara had the waterbending scroll in her hand. Knowing that Katara was frustrated by her lack of progress towards waterbending, Darya got up to give the girl some company and encouragement. She grabbed her swords and placed them on either side of her so they would be easy to grab.

Darya caught up to Katara by the river. She watched in the shadows as Katara tried and failed to do a complicated waterbending move.

"Hey." Darya said as she stepped onto the beach. Katara jumped and looked panicked.

"Hey calm down it's just me!" Darya raised her hands.

"Oh, sorry you surprised me that's all." Katar said with a sigh. Darya walked over and placed a hand on Katara's shoulder.

"Don't worry you'll get it! Bending is hard and it takes a lot of practice!" Darya said cheerily.

"But Aang mastered these moves in minutes." Katara said sullenly.

"Yeah but Aang is the Avatar. He's incredibly powerful, so don't beat yourself up. Aang mastered airbending way before I did too." Darya smiled. Katara nodded but didn't look much happier. Darya frowned, trying to figure out how to cheer the girl up. Before she could think of anything though, a horrible metallic sound pierced the night.

"What was that?" Darya hissed.

She crept over to some bushes and peered through them. Her heart dropped at the sight of Zuko's ship pulling up on the sand. Darya spun around to run, but found herself in the arms of one of the pirates from earlier. His breath was terrible and Darya thought she might throw up.

"Let go of me!" She growled, launching a small whip of air into the pirate's face. The pirate let out a howl of pain and let her go. Darya spun around only to be caught once more. However, instead of a pirate she was looking into the face of Prince Zuko. She swallowing a lump in her throat as butterflies soared in her stomach. Their embrace would've been romantic if it hadn't been for the fact that he was trying to capture her.

"Don't worry." He purred silkily. "I'll save you from the pirates."

Darya felt her knees grow weak and cursed herself for being so affected by this boy.

"You've got to be kidding me." She sighed, making Zuko chuckled darkly. Zuko pushed her towards a tree and tied her to it. Darya looked over to see Katara tied to the tree next to her. Darya turned back to Zuko and the pirates, who were coming out of their ship.

"To what do we owe this pleasure, Prince Zuko?" Darya smiled, deciding that she should keep them talking for as long as possible, hopefully until Aang and Sokka got there.

"Tell me where the Avatar is, and I won't hurt you or this girl." Zuko snarled and waved to Katara.

"Go jump in the river!" Katara taunted. Darya laughed at the fury on Zuko's face. Zuko spun around at her laughter, smoke curling off his hands. To Darya's surprise he didn't make a comment, but instead stalked over to Katara.

"Try to understand, I need to capture him to restore something I've lost; my honor. Perhaps in exchange I could restore something you've lost?" He pulled out Katara's necklace, the one that had been missing. Katara looked stunned and Darya was worried that she might fall into the temptation.

"My mothers necklace! How did you get that?" She choked on tears. Zuko smiled again, but instead of lighting up his face it darkened it. Darya felt like this was another, darker side of Zuko coming out. She had seen him fighting, and while he was on the wrong side, he was at least human. But this darkness made him look more monstrous and she didn't like it.

"I didn't steal it, if that what you're wondering." Zuko snapped. "Tell me where he is!"

"No!" Katara yelled.

"Leave Her alone, Zuko." Darya snarled back, desperate for that darkness to pass away from his face. She wanted to keep him away from Katara as well. Darya could handle anything he threw at her, she had survived a direct attack from the Fire Nation before after all, but she could tell that Katara was being affected by his threats too much.

"Enough of this necklace garbage! Where's my scroll?" The pirate captain growled in his gravelly voice. Darya turned and saw the group of pirates they had stolen from earlier were clustered around the bow of a pirate ship. They were as disgusting as they were earlier, except now Darya and Katara were trapped against some trees. Darya tried to keep an eye on all of them at once.

"I wonder," Zuko said, lighting a fire in his palm and holding the scroll over it. "How much money this scroll is worth?"

The pirates gasped.

"How did you get that?" Darya asked. She hadn't even seen him grab it from Katara.

"A lot apparently." Zuko continued, ignoring her. "Now, you help me find what I want, you'll get this back and everyone goes home happy. Search the woods for the boy and meet back here."

"Oh he's good." Darya whispered. Everyone turned to her and she blushed. "Was that out loud?"

"Fine." The captain snarled and lead his men into the woods, Zuko's soldiers following.

"So can we go home happy now too?" Darya asked Zuko once the men had left. He spun around to her and sent a blaze of fire at the tree. It hit the tree only a few feet above her head and snapped off the top part. Darya flinched, but tried to cover it up quickly.

"You aimed a little high." Darya teased, loving the way his face turned red in anger.

"Do you ever shut up?" Zuko roared in her face.

"Why should I? Do you ever stop threatening us?" Darya shot back. Zuko was about to send another blast of fire at another tree when an old man put his hand on the prince's arm. The older man was dressed in expensive clothing like Zuko's, and Darya had to guess that he was somehow royal as well.

"Zuko, calm your fire." The older man ordered, his styled grey beard pointing sharply up at the taller Zuko. Darya was shocked, she couldn't believe she had just heard Monk Gyatso's scolding coming from this man's mouth.

"She's insufferable!" Zuko roared.

"Yes, but she is still a lady. You should learn to treat pretty ladies nicely." The old man chided with a smile. Darya couldn't believe it. She was chained to a tree and this old man was preaching to Zuko about manners.

"Agni, it's not very gentlemanly to chain a lady to a tree, either." Darya muttered, Zuko glared at her and stalked off down the beach, muttered under his breath.

"My nephew is a bit sensitive." The old man said standing next to Katara. Darya looked shocked.

"You're related?" Katara stammered.

"You're the Fire Lord's brother!" Darya snarled, realizing who he was. She had seen him on Zuko's ship when they were attacked by the blockade on the Winter Solstice. Up close, he looked uncomfortably like an older Sozin, and Darya could deduce how that was. She pulled on her ropes slightly in anger, picturing all of the innocent people he must have killed.

"Yes that is-" the old man began, but he was cut off by the pirates dragging Aang and Sokka out of the forest.

"Can this night get any worse!" Darya cursed, letting a gust of hot air shoot out of her mouth.

"Nice work." Zuko said as he prowled back from venting his frustration, the darkness that had taken over earlier had disappeared. The sun was rising behind him, and as it brushed over the trees, Darya watched Zuko's silhouette take on a fiery glow. Darya's heart gave an annoying flutter and she reminded herself that he was the bad guy.

"Aang, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault." Katara cried, calling Darya back to the dire situation.

"No, Katara, it isn't" Aang said, trying to comfort his friend.

"Yeah, it kind of is." Iroh added.

"Not helpful old man." Darya growled. Iroh raised his eyebrows at her and chuckled, but didn't say anything.

Meanwhile, Zuko had lost in his bargaining with the pirates. Darya watched as the group of violent men began to turn around with Aang in their grasp. Darya began to struggle violently against her bonds, desperate to get to Aang. Before she could do anything however, Zuko snarled and he and his soldiers simultaneously sent blasts of fire at the pirates. The heat washed over Darya like a blanket and she stared in amazement as the pirates leapt out of the way of the flames.

"Aang!" Darya and Katara cried as pandemonium broke out. Flames and swords were flying, with Aang and Sokka trapped in the middle of it all. Suddenly one of the pirates set off several smoke bombs, creating a thick miasma. Darya coughed at the smell of the smoke and nearly leapt out of her skin when she felt something brush against her hands. She felt fur and she turned her head around to see Momo chewing her bonds. The rope quickly snapped.

"Thanks Momo." Darya said as she ran into the fray. Although her glider was back at camp, Darya had brought her swords. She drew them now, excited to finally use them in battle. The twin dragons flashed as she cut through the smoke with a blast of air. Her airbending revealed two pirates beating up a Fire Nation soldier.

"Get her!" one of the pirates yelled. The other pirate lept up and drew his own single broadsword. He charged her, the sword swinging high above his head. Darya watched as he drew closer and began to swing his sword down. With a flash she brought her sword up to block his blow. With a sharp clang, Darya was thrown to the ground. She knew he would hit hard, but she didn't think he would hit _that_ hard. _Maybe I'm not as strong as I thought I was_ . . . Darya thought. She didn't have much more time to ponder this however, when the pirate struck at her again.

Darya rolled to the side and watched in horror as the pirate's blade sunk into the ground. Just a second ago, she had been laying there, and she would be dead if she still was. Something in Darya's brain clicked at that moment. She would die here, and so would her friends, if they made even a single a mistake. That realization brought strength to her, and she rose from the ground and struck out at the pirate like a bolt of lightning.

With a twist of her sword she struck the pirate's shoulder. The pirate dropped his sword with a screech of pain. Darya didn't want to kill, only disable, so she left him there. Another pirate came bolting out of the smoke and he lashed out with two daggers. Darya jumped back in order to avoid his attack.

The two stared at each other, waiting for the other to attack. Darya watched as a bead of sweat slipped down and into the pirate's eye. As the pirate moved his hand to wipe the sweat from his eye, Darya struck. With two swift movements her dragons had placed twin slashes on the pirates hands. He screamed and fell to the ground, clutching his hands to his chest. For a moment, Darya was worried she had been too forceful, but once again her thoughts were interrupted.

"Bleeding hog-monkeys!" The sound of the captain's swearing made Darya follow his line of sight. With relief Darya saw Aang, Katara, and Sokka on board the pirate's ship and floating away downriver. _They escaped!_ She thought happily. _Now I need to find a way to sneak off too._

Thankfully, no one was paying attention to her any more. The pirates were trying to get their ship back while Zuko and his men were trying to do the same. _Camp isn't too far from here._ Darya thought. She took one last look over her shoulder of Zuko racing after his ship. She laughed and began to run the opposite way, into the woods. In a few minutes she was back at the camp site. Appa roared in greeting and concern as she drew near.

"It's ok Appa, we're going to go get them. They're fine for now, but probably not for much longer." Darya comforted the beast, patting him on the cheek. Appa growled and sat still as Darya began to throw the tent and supplies into the saddle.

"That's everything, yip yip!" Darya said as she flew onto Appa's back. She grabbed the reins and gave them a flick. Appa took to the air and they were quickly above the tree line. Darya scanned the river below them, but couldn't see the pirate ship or Zuko's ship. Suddenly, Appa jerked to the right, so suddenly that Darya almost fell off.

"What was that for?" She asked, concerned that something was wrong with Appa. The sky bison roared in response and began to fly even faster. Darya pulled on the reins but Appa wouldn't be persuaded to go any other direction.

"I hope you know what you're doing." Darya murmured. Appa growled and swooped down towards a huge waterfall. Darya gasped in horror as she watched Aang's ship hover near the edge of the drop. Appa put on a burst of speed right in time for Aang's ship to be blasted off the waterfall by Zuko's ship.

The trio were only freefalling for a few seconds before Appa swooped in and Darya helped airbend them so they would land in Appa's saddle. She breathed a sigh of relief and ran over to them. She grabbed Aang into a tight hug.

"Darya it's ok." Aang said, his voice muffled by Darya's clothing. Darya pulled back and laughed.

"Don't do that to me again. I thought the world was about to lose the Avatar." Darya said.

"Nope, I'm still here!" Aang laughed. Darya laughed again and patted Aang on the shoulder. She stood up again and moved to Appa's head.

"You guys just fell off a cliff, I'll drive for a while and you guys can rest from that." Darya said as she picked up Appa's reins.


	6. The Storm

**Chapter 5 - The Storm**

Darya was tired, but it would be a long time before she could sleep. She sat on Appa's back with his reins held loosely in her hands. The night sky was clear and Darya watched as millions of stars gazed back at her. She sighed and rubbed her eyes.

 _I can't sleep, they need to rest a bit._ Darya looked back at the group behind her. All of them were nestled in Appa's saddle sound asleep. Darya smiled, happy that they could rest after their hectic last few days. The Great Divide had been more of a challenge than anyone expected, and Darya was lucky enough to sit that adventure out. She had flown Appa over the canyon with the elderly and sick, and had waited for her companions.

 _And Katara is still getting over Jet._ Darya rolled her eyes at that thought. Katara had instantly fallen in love with that idiot. Darya had to admit that he had caught her eye briefly, but she had sensed something dark within the boy's heart. She had been proven right only a few days later, much to Katara's dismay. Even though Darya thought Jet was attractive, she couldn't help compare him to a certain fiery prince. She hated herself for it, but she knew her little crush on Zuko had grown since their last meeting.

He was fun, in an angry way. Darya liked getting a reaction out of him. Granted, she liked doing that to Sokka too, but there was something about the fire within Zuko that attracted her. She sighed, thinking about how nothing could ever happen between them.

 _Why do I have to like_ him _of all people? Why can't I settle for a nice Earth Kingdom boy or a waterbender?_ She looked back at Sokka and giggled. He was a goof and quickly becoming one of her closest friends, but she could never see him in a romantic way. _And Appa forbid I fall in love with an earthbender._ She shivered at the thought of being tied to the ground.

A rustling behind her disturbed Darya from her thoughts. In the saddle, Aang was thrashing around in his sleep. Darya airbent over to him and shook him awake.

"Aang? Aang wake up, you're dreaming." Darya cooed motherly. Aang shot up, startling everyone in the saddle.

"Are we being captured again?" Sokka mumbled sleepily, holding his boomerang. Darya would have thought is was comic if not for the panic in Aang's eyes.

"No it's fine, just a dream." Aang said, relaxing slightly as he took in his surroundings.

"Don't have to tell me twice." Sokka said as he quickly fell back asleep.

"Are you alright, Aang?" Darya looked up to see Katara inching over. Darya wanted to comfort Aang, but she knew that he would rather be comforted by the girl he had a crush on, so she scooted back to give them room. A brief whisper of a thought ghosted across her mind as she watched Katara comfort Aang.

 _I wish I had someone like that._

* * *

The Gaang walked through the small market, looking at the produce longingly.

"How are we going to buy food with no money?" Sokka growled, glancing at the ripe melons that sat gleaming in the morning sun.

"You could get a job, smart guy!" Katara teased her brother. Sokka glared at her while Aang and Darya laughed at the siblings. As they walked past the docks an old man and woman walked past them, clearly arguing.

"We shouldn't go out there! Please, the fish can wait. There's going to be a terrible storm." The old woman pleaded, holding onto the man's arm.

"Ahh, you're crazy! It's a nice day. No clouds, no wind, no nothing, so quit your naggin' woman." The man said, pulling his arm out of her grip and walking up to a boat tied to the dock. The Gaang shared a look and walked over to the couple. The couple continued to argue about fishing, until Sokka suddenly interrupted.

"I'll go!" He said, walking over.

"You're hired!" The old man said, beckoning Sokka into the boat. Sokka jumped into the little boat and grinned at the Gaang. They stared back at him in shock.

"What, you said get a job, and he's paying double!" Sokka answered their looks.

"What, who told you that nonsense." The old man growled. "Now help me load the boat."

With that order, the four teenagers began hauling nets and supplies into the boat. By the time they finished, dark storm clouds had crept in and the wind had risen ominously. Darya looked at the clouds and frowned. _Where did they come from?_

"Sokka, I don't think this is a good idea. Look at those clouds." Aang said from Darya's side, his frown creased in worry.

"Look, I said I'd help, I can't go back on that now." Sokka said, not looking worried, which worried Darya even more.

"The boy with the tattoos makes a good point." The old woman said, coming to stand by the docks. The old man paused at the woman's words and looks up at Aang. A look of dawning realization graces his wrinkled face, only to be consumed with an accusatory one.

"Boy with tattoos? Airbender tattoos...well I'll be a hogmonkey's uncle! You're the Avatar, ain't ya?" The old man growled.

"That's right!" Katara said smugly with her hands on her hips.

"Well don't be so smiley about it. The Avatar disappeared for a hundred years. You turned your back on the world!" The old man snapped, jabbing Aang in the chest with a gnarled finger. A look of horror passed over Katara while Darya growled at the accusation. Aang simply looked resigned and guilty.

"Don't yell at him! Aang would never turn his back on anyone!" Katara yelled.

"Oh? He wouldn't, huh? Then I guess I must have imagined the last hundred years of war and suffering." The man continued, ignoring the hurt in Aang's eyes and the fury pouring out of Darya's.

"Shut up, old man." Darya ground out, furious that this old fisherman dared to disrespect Aang. She took a step forward and reaching for her swords, which she realized she had left on Appa. The old man looked a little frightened, but before Darya could do anything, Katara stepped forward.

"Aang is the bravest person I know! He has done nothing but help people and save lives since I met him. It's not his fault he disappeared, right Aang? Aang? What's wrong?" Aang had turned a sickly green color. He shook his head in confusion or guilt, it was hard to tell. He then spun around and opened his glider, taking off into the oncoming storm.

"Aang!" Darya yelled after him, but he ignored her. A sinking feeling took over her as she watched her friend disappear into the black clouds.

"I'll try and stop him from doing something stupid." Darya said, turning to Katara. Katara nodded and watched as Darya twirled her dragon glider open and took to the sky. Darya was a faster flyer than Aang and she disappeared into the clouds close behind him.

Darya had only been in the air for a few minutes before she realized what a horrible mistake flying in this weather had been. She was an excellent flier, even better than Aang, but no one had the skill to outmaneuver a storm like this. She was soaked to the bone and could see only a few feet in front of her. Lightning lit up the clouds around her and she was beginning to feel afraid.

 _Aang is smart enough to know that he needs to land._ She thought to herself as she began her descent. The wind was howling in her ears and it made steering incredibly difficult. Darya could feel the air shift as she fell out of the clouds and gazed in horror at the open ocean.

"Where's the town!?" she screamed out loud. Below her and on all sides lay choppy waves and a sheet of cold rain. Panic began to cloud her mind as she thought about her predicament, so to keep it from taking control, she picked a direction and flew, praying it was the correct one.

"Get out of here rain!" she screamed again, her frustration mounting. She couldn't see more than ten feet in front of her and she was beginning to shake uncontrollably, which couldn't be good. Her fingers were numb and her lips were surely blue. _I need to land,_ was the only thought that passed in her mind as the cold and shaking grew more violent.

 _Whoosh!_

Darya screamed as something flew past her right side, nearly knocking her off of her glider. She spun around and saw a tall pillar of metal shoot out of the ocean. She squinted to see that it was connected to a dark metal ship.

 _Thank you!_ Darya prayed and she swooped down towards the safety of the ship. However, the cold and the rain had affected her flying, and she pulled out of her dive too late and crashed onto the ship. Her glider spun out of her hands and landed a few feet from her while Darya was thrown across the hard metal of the ship.

"Ah!" she cried in pain as a sharp piece cut into her side and warm blood began to pool under her. She tried to sit up but the pain was too much and her world slowly faded to black.

* * *

Iroh paced the steering tower. Only Lieutenant Jee and the captain were present with him. The others were all below deck trying to keep the ship's power going through the storm.

"We need to find a port to wait out the storm, General." Jee said to the old general. Iroh shook his head and looked at the Lieutenant.

"I am not in command of this ship Lieutenant, my nephew is." Iroh said back, his voice agitated.

Lieutenant Jee growled and stalked over to the captain and told him the bad news. The captain swore and then fell back into concentrating on keeping the ship afloat. All three men were staring out of the large window that took up most of the tower. The rain was blinding making the window nearly useless. It had one important use during that storm however.

As Iroh walked up to the window to see if he could look out, a flash of gold and red flew by and a faint scream following it.

"By the Fire Lord! What was that?" Jee exclaimed, joining Iroh at the window. The men watched as an orange dot crashed onto the deck and lay still.

"Quick!" Iroh said to Jee, and the two men sped out of the tower and onto the rain soaked deck. As they got closer to the orange lump, it became clear that it was a girl.

"How did she get here?" Jee said as he bent down to examine the girl.

"With this." Iroh said, holding up the staff that was half collapsed.

"She's with the Avatar!" Jee exclaimed.

"It is the female airbender, her name is Darya." Iroh said as he approached the girl and placed his hand on her forehead. "She's freezing, we need to get her inside, quickly."

Jee nodded and picked up the girl gently. As he did, the pool of blood underneath her became apparent.

"She's bleeding out too, General." Jee said, worry in his voice.

"Put her in the first room." Iroh said, worried for the young girl.

"But that is Prince Zuko's room." Jee hesitated as he began to gently carry Darya inside.

"He will have to sacrifice it in order to keep this girl alive." Iroh snapped. Jee nodded and waited as Iroh opened the heavy door that lead to the bowels of the ship. They turned to the first door on the left and opened it to find Zuko meditating in front of a set of candles. At the sound of the door, Zuko spun around.

"What is the meaning of this interruption?" He demanded sourly. His anger turned to confusion as he saw the girl in Jee's arms.

"What is _she_ doing here?" He demanded, his authoritative air coming back, although there was a waver to his voice that was missing before.

"Move, Zuko, she is dying." Iroh said, sweeping Zuko out of the way as Jee placed the girl on Zuko's bed, her blood immediately soiling the pristine linen. Jee stooped over Darya and pulled her airbending robes up slightly, in order for them to get a good look at the wound.

"Her wound is deep, it needs to be cauterized before it can be bound, otherwise it will bleed through the bandages." Jee said as he inspected her torn side.

"Zuko, seal the wound." Iroh said, turning to his nephew.

"What?" Zuko paled. "A doctor needs to do that."

"You are the most skilled at controlling small and powerful flames. Form one of your flame daggers and seal that wound!" Iroh was getting impatient as the poor girl bled out.

Zuko visibly swallowed and stepped forward, summoning a small dagger of flame. He knelt down so that he was level with Darya's side and pressed the tip of the flame to her open flesh. The edges of the wound blister immediately and Darya let out a gasp of pain, but didn't wake up.

The wound was quickly sealed and the blood stopped flowing. Zuko stepped back and wiped his blow, a bead of sweat running into his eyes. He had never had to concentrate that hard on controlling his fire before, but he didn't want to hurt the girl any more than was necessary. This feeling lead to annoyance quickly though.

 _Why should I care if she's hurt?_ He thought, but the slight pang of worry wouldn't go away. This girl who had introduced herself by kicking his butt and then winking at him, teased him, and threatened him was now half dead and unconscious in his bed. She was always strong and fiery, now she was cold and pale. It just wasn't right.

"Jee, get some bandages and more fuel for a fire in here. And blankets!" Iroh commanded. The lieutenant made to exit the room.

"Why is she here?" Zuko asked, unable to contain his curiosity any longer, turning to his uncle.

"I do not know. I was in the control tower with Lieutenant Jee and the captain when she flew past and crashed onto the deck. She must have been flying for some time, we are far from land." Iroh said turning back to the airbender on the bloodstained bed.

"She will stay here tonight Zuko, you can sleep in my room. We shall prepare a room for her when she wakes up. Hopefully that will be soon, but she is very cold and has lost too much blood. I am worried she may not recover." Iroh moved to stand by the girl, his hand brushing back her blond hair which had fallen over her face.

"I'm to give up my room to a prisoner?" Zuko stormed, his confusing emotions making him more quick tempered than usual.

"You do not expect to move this girl do you? She is severely injured!" Iroh looked at his nephew in shock, but he felt like there was less bite to Zuko's words than usual. It was as if the words were forced.

"Go to my room, Prince Zuko. I will join you when the girl has been bandaged and a fire is going." Iroh said, and Zuko obeyed. He was growing more uncomfortable as he caught glimpses of the girl from the corner of his eye, her shirt still exposing her lower torso. He turned quickly and shut the door quietly, despite the urge to slam it shut.

Shortly after Zuko left, Jee returned with the supplies and two soldiers.

"She's very pretty." Jee murmured. Iroh glanced over at the Lieutenant and chuckled.

"You had better not let my nephew hear that. I think he would agree with you, although he would never admit it out loud." Iroh replied. Jee gave him a look that made Iroh chuckle again.

Iroh took the bandages from Jee and wrapped them around Darya, making sure to put some salve on the cauterized wound. It would scar, but the scar would be faint if they changed the ointment regularly. After Darya's wound was cleaned and wrapped, Iroh put several blankets over her and tucked her in.

For a moment a memory flashed on him tucking in a young boy. The boy was asleep with his mouth slightly parted. Iroh gazed lovingly at his son, and then the memory was gone. The love and the pain remained however, and it filled Iroh with a sense of paternal possessiveness. He would make sure this girl lived to see another day.

"Sir," Jee said, interrupting Iroh's thoughts. "I have positioned two men to stand guard. They are to check on the girl every half hour to make sure she is ok."

Iroh nodded and patted Jee on the shoulder. "Thank you Lieutenant. She reminds me of my son, and I do not wish to lose another young one."

Jee was startled by Iroh's revelation, but was unsurprised. The old dragon had lost his son and ever since he had been protective of the youth in the Fire Palace.

Iroh walked out of the room, leaving Darya in the care of the two guards. As he passed the men by the door he said, "Get me as soon as she wakes up. She will probably be scared, so be gentle with her." The guards nodded.

Iroh made his way down the hallway and into his room. Zuko sat at the small desk, staring intently at a lone candle. When he heard the door open he turned around and glared at Iroh.

"I want my room back. I was in the middle of my meditation and one candle is not enough to focus on." Zuko growled.

"Prince Zuko, a young girl who is in dire need of healing is using your room for now. You should show more respect to a lady. Every time we meet her you are nothing but foul." Iroh chastised. Zuko huffed and turned back to the candle.

"I am going to check on the crew, I advise you to get some sleep if you can." Iroh said more softly. He patted Zuko's shoulder lightly and left him alone with his candle.

Iroh walked down the hallway to find the stairs to the tower when he heard Jee complaining about Zuko.

"I had best calm him down." Iroh sighed, his duty as the peacekeeper was never over.

* * *

Darya was shocked awake by a loud crash and a violent shake. The boat shuddered painfully and then lay still. A moment later and it sputtered to life again underneath her. Darya tried to sit up but the pain in her side was too much to handle and she fell back onto the bed with a hiss. Her hand snaked across her belly to rest on the padding of the bandages.

 _I'm with friends at least._ She thought. _Who else would help me?_

The thought of being alone in a foreign household was intimidating, but not as intimidating as the Fire Nation insignia which greeted her as she turned over on the bed. Her breath caught in her throat and panic began to bubble in her stomach. She tried to sit up again, but once again the pain forced her down.

 _I can't do anything in this condition. What happened to me?_ Darya struggled to remember how she had ended up to badly wounded. There was something about Aang and a storm. The storm! The boat gave a jerk as Darya remembered her flight and her crash landing. She moved her elbows behind her and propped herself up. It was painful, but so long as she didn't strain her stomach muscles she was ok. She looked at the large swath of white linen that was wrapped around her middle. She could feel where the boat had cut her pulsing unpleasantly underneath of them. She pulled her shirt down to cover the bandages, but was slightly dismayed to see it stained with blood and with a large hole in it.

She wanted to get out of here, but she knew there was no chance of that if she couldn't even get out of the bed. She debated calling out or waiting to see who would come after her. As she thought over the possibilities, she heard several footsteps run past her door and a voice she did not expect to hear yelling.

"Where were we hit!" Zuko yelled past her door.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Darya groaned. So she was on a Fire Navy ship with the Prince of Anger Management Issues. She may think he was cute and that he was fun to tease, but that didn't mean she wanted to live with him!

Darya looked around her room again as she realized where she was. She spotted a large fire blazing in an ornate fireplace shaped like a dragon's head. A large candelabra sat along one of the walls and two broadswords hung proudly above it. The iron door sat opposite the candelabra. Darya eyed the door, trying to measure how much energy and strength she would need to open the heavy wheel that kept it shut.

 _I bed I could bend it open._ Darya thought, although she worried about her stomach muscles. She wasn't sure what damage the boat had done to her, or the lengthy flight in the storm for that matter. She felt cold and hot at the same time, but her head felt relatively clear. She felt tired, so she couldn't have been knocked out for long. _I hope._

Darya stared at the door in determination and took in a breath, gently testing her body. She felt a twinge of pain from her side but it was not as bad as when she had first woken up. She took in more air and then sent out a small blast of hot air. Her side flared with pain, and Darya had to resign herself to her bed. She lay back down and wiped the thin layer of sweat from her brow.

The boat shook again for several minutes and Darya had to focus on not throwing up. Years of flying had given her a strong stomach, but she was weak from the storm and the pain in her side added to the nausea. As soon as the boat's rocking began to subside, Darya let out the breath she had been holding and relaxed into the pillows.

Her eyes felt heavy, but she couldn't sleep until she knew that she was safe. She looked over towards the door again as she heard footsteps walk past it and muffled voices could be heard. She strained her ears to hear what they were saying, but the iron of the door was too thick, and only the fact that they were all male could be understood.

Darya didn't have to wait long for the door to open however, because at that moment, it gently swung open revealing Iroh and a soldier. Darya noted that the soldier appeared more important than the rest since he did not wear the helmet the others did.

"Ah you are awake!" Iroh said happily as he and the soldier walked further into the room and closed the door behind them. Darya watched them warily. She had seen Iroh several times before, the most recent being when she had been tied to a tree. She didn't know what to make of him though. He seemed to be a simple, kind old man, but she had heard from Sokka that he had once been feared around the world for his skill at war.

"Please, do not be afraid." Iroh said, noticing her wary gaze. "Lieutenant Jee and I were just coming in here to check on you. You have been asleep for several hours now and we were worried something might have happened to you when the boat got struck by lightning."

"Is that what that was?" Darya said, not able to stop her curiosity. "I woke up to the ship being tossed around and I assumed - well, I don't know what I assumed. Something happened at least. I heard Zuko yell something outside of my door about the ship being hit." _Stop rambling!_ She yelled to herself. She couldn't help feel a sense of calm coming off of the old general which made her put her guard down slightly.

"Ah yes. Lightning hit one of the engines, but we are safe for now. We will find a port soon to fix the ship. But the ship is not what is important now, how are you feeling?" Iroh said, a look of genuine concern in his eyes. Darya paused for a moment and thought through her options.

She could answer honestly and tell him she felt like crap, or she could lie and pretend she had never felt better. One answer would leave her dependent of him while the other- well the other would still leave her dependent. She couldn't even airbend without feeling like her side was on fire. She sighed, resigned.

"I feel like I've been trampled by a herd of frozen sky bison and stabbed by a flaming sword." Darya said, attempting to sit up. Her side twinged and she gasped, about to fall back down onto the bed. However, her head never hit the pillow as a pair of strong arms wrapped around her and helped her sit up. Darya looked up into the eyes of the soldier, his face surprisingly kind. Darya didn't know that firebenders could look so kind. Iroh seemed kind, but his reputation followed him, giving him an edge. Darya didn't know this soldier however, and all she saw was worry.

"Th-thanks" Darya squeaked, her face flushing at their close proximity.

"It's not a problem." The soldier said, blushing as well and taking a step back. He remained close however, in case Darya had trouble with her side again. Darya shook her head slightly to try and clear her slightly muddled mind, only to feel it pound uncomfortably in response.

"Lieutenant Jee has made sure your wound stayed cleaned." Iroh said, a flash of amusement in his eyes.

"What?!" Darya blushed furiously, imagining the young Lieutenant changing her bandages. "Don't you have any women on board?"

The two firebenders exchanged a glance.

"You are the first." Iroh said, trying to calm down the girl. Darya groaned out loud and buried her head in her hands.

"It figures," she began, emerging from her hands, "that of all the ships I could possibly land on, it would be this one. I must have really messed up my karma at one point, but I don't think I did anything bad enough to deserve this!"

Iroh couldn't help but laugh out loud. His great guffaws caused Darya to jump slightly and then hiss in pain, doubling over as her wound bothered her. Jee was near her in an instant, but not daring to touch her. Iroh quickly quieted down and walked over to her. He patted her shoulder gently and was pleased when she didn't flinch. She reminded him so much of his son that it would have hurt him a little if she had.

"I am sorry my dear, it is just that you sound exactly like my son when he was your age." Iroh said, his voice a mix of happy and sad. Darya looked up at him in surprise.

"You have a son?" Darya asked. She couldn't imagine what his son must be like, but she could imagine this man being a father.

"I did, but he died in the war." Iroh said, more sadness pouring through now. He did not often talk about his son, but seeing the same fire in this girl that had resided in his son, made him speak.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear about that." Darya said, honestly. She may not like these firebenders that much, but she didn't like to hear that they were hurting either. She looked from Iroh to Jee, who was standing very close to her. They both blushed at the eye contact and Darya couldn't help but look away.

"Miss-" Jee began, but he was interrupted.

"Lieutenant Jee, the captain needs to speak with you." A sharp voice growled from the door, shattering the moment. Darya looked up so fast she heard her neck pop. In the doorway stood a very angry Zuko. _Oh good, he's in a good mood._ Darya thought sarcastically.

"Yes, sir." Jee said, reluctantly stepping away from the girl. Darya watched as Jee quickly left the room, glancing once as he stepped out of sight. Darya found it funny that the first man to ever look at her and blush was a firebending soldier. Although she herself had a crush on a firebending _prince_ , so she didn't have much room to talk.

Zuko stood in the hallway, glaring at Darya. An awkward silence fell on the room until Iroh decided he had had enough of his nephew's behavior.

"Prince Zuko, it is improper to stare at a guest in such a way." Iroh scolded. Zuko moved his glare from Darya onto Iroh quickly.

"It is, however, she is not a guest. She is a prisoner." Zuko snarled loudly. Darya's head was still pounding and she winced slightly at the volume of his voice.

"Tone it down, my head is killing me." She groaned, annoyed. The pain in her head was growing and the pain in her side was pulsing uncomfortably. On top of that she still felt cold and hot all over.

"I have ordered the men to prepare a cell for her. She is to move there immediately." Zuko continued, ignoring Darya.

"Nonsense, Prince Zuko. She is seriously injured!" Iroh argued. Darya wasn't surprised that Zuko would want her in a cell though. What did surprise her was that this was not the room she was supposed to be in.

"Wait, if I'm supposed to be in a cell, what room is this?" She asked, trying to stay upright, but the pain spreading throughout her body was making it difficult. Iroh opened his mouth to respond, but Zuko beat him.

"Mine, and I want you out!" he growled. Darya felt the blood rush to her cheeks in full force. This was his room. This was his fireplace. Those were his swords. _This is his bed!_ Darya felt her heart stutter and butterflies swarmed in her stomach. She couldn't contain her emotions anymore, and she let out an extremely girlish giggle that made everyone, including herself pause.

"I'm sorry," she said, in between her giggles, "it's just - you don't understand. Ignore me, I think I have a fever." She tried to stop her laughter but it wouldn't stop until her side gave a twinge and she calmed down enough to get ahold of herself.

 _Wow, you are a mess._ She chastised herself, holding her side gently. He was just a boy, an angry, self absorbed, arrogant, attractive, strong - _Stop it!_

"She is not well, Zuko. She must stay in a warm bed until she is healthy again." Iroh said, watching Darya, worried that she may collapse.

"Well move her to another room then!" Zuko continued to yell, trying to compensate for how he felt when she blushed. Somewhere deep down, a tiny voice screamed that the blush made her even more beautiful than she already was. However, Zuko had become an expert at squashing unwelcome voices.

"There are no rooms available Zuko." Iroh said.

"Then what am I to do! I will not share a room with you." Zuko said, growing angrier, smoke curling from his clenched fists.

"Zuko calm your fire!" Iroh commanded. The saying that had previously shocked Darya, shocked her again; she had almost forgotten about it. In her tired state, images of Monk Gyatso's final words flooded back to her. The strength used to flying in the storm and overcome the injury on her side had sapped Darya of most of her self control, and she felt it slip away further.

 _"Do not cry, Darya. You are a strong and beautiful airbender. I hope to see you after this, but if I do not, know that I have been proud to have you as a pupil." Gyatso said with a smile before he returned to the chaos._

"No…" Darya breathed, hardly more than a sigh. She couldn't hear the two firebenders arguing anymore, only the beat of her heart. She slumped down the wall and fell back onto the pillows away from the rest of the room. Tears sprung in her eyes and she curled in on herself, trying to block out the pain in her heart.

A sob interrupted Iroh and Zuko, who were in a debate on whether the girl was a prisoner or not. Both men shared a look of surprise and then they glanced over at the airbender. She had fallen back into bed in a heap, small sobs wracked her body.

"What is wrong?" Iroh said kindly as he moved to her side. He placed a hand on Darya's shoulder, attempting to comfort her. Darya froze for a second, and then fell into deeper sobs. Iroh glanced back at Zuko, who seemed frozen. His mouth was open as if he was about to speak, but a panicked look was in his eyes.

"Zuko, tell one of the men outside to fetch my tea things." Iroh commanded quietly. Zuko just nodded and did as he was told. Iroh was amused at how an emotional girl could freeze the fiery youth.

Iroh turned back to Darya and stroked her hair. Darya felt his fatherly comforts and sobbed harder. She missed Monk Gyatso, she missed the sky bison, she missed airbenders, and she missed her own father. She hadn't known him for long and Monk Gyatso had been more of a father, but she remembered eagerly waiting to meet him again. That would never happen now. Her sorrow wracked her body and she felt Iroh comfort her.

"Hush now, do not cry. You are safe here." Iroh said, thinking that fear was causing Darya to cry. Darya began to calm down, her body too exhausted to continue crying for long. She turned over to look at Iroh, who was perched at the edge of her bed. He wore a look of concern that tugged at Darya's heartstrings. She knew he was technically her enemy, but at that moment she only saw an old man who was worried about a young girl. She looked at him curiously.

At that moment, Zuko stepped back into the room looking very uncomfortable. If Darya was in a better mood she would have laughed out loud at the way he fidgeted. In his hands were a beautiful tea pot, tea leaves, and three cups.

"Here." he said as he deposited the tea things near the fireplace.

"Thank you, nephew." Iroh said. The general rose from the bed and began to fuss over the tea by the fire. Darya watched him, her eyes half shut. She was tired, but she couldn't sleep now, she needed to know what they were going to do with her.

"What-" she began, but her voice was hoarse from crying and it hurt to speak. She winced lightly at the sound and the pain her voice gave her. She cleared her throat "What am I doing here?"

Iroh looked back at her, concerned. "You crashed onto the deck during the storm."

"I know that, I remember most of it, but I mean here, in this room." Darya clarified, fighting the blush that rose as she thought, again, how this was Zuko's bed. "What are you going to do with me?"

"As soon as you are well enough to walk, you will be taken to the dungeon." Zuko growled quietly, still obviously uncomfortable. Darya looked at him and saw his cheeks flush slightly. "I do not want you in my room any longer than necessary."

"Pardon me for being such a burden." Darya spat, her temper rising to replace her sorrow. She was tired, injured, and her emotions were all over the place. She was not in the mood to be ordered around.

"You should have been more careful flying." Zuko replied, not failing to rise to Darya's challenge.

"Oh please, like you know the meaning of careful!" Darya growled, her voice rising, despite the discomfort. Zuko took a step closer to her.

"At least I don't have a hole in my side!" Zuko snarled.

"No but your face didn't burn itself, did it?" Darya said, feeling triumphant. Zuko's face paled then and he looked like someone had shocked him. Then he spun out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Darya was surprised by his reaction, she had been preparing for another snide comment, not this. _I must have hit a nerve._ She thought, not sure if she felt triumphant or guilty.

"You should not have said that, he is very sensitive." Iroh said as he handed her a cup of hot tea. Darya let it warm her hands and she felt herself calm down. She wrestled her frayed emotions and her pain, focusing on the heat of the tea.

"Well he shouldn't be so mean all the time." She said, not apologizing.

"My nephew saved your life. I do not think _that_ was mean of him." Iroh said, taking a seat at the foot of the bed and looking at Darya over his cup of tea. Darya nearly dropped her cup.

"What do you mean he saved my life?"

"You were bleeding out, and Zuko is good at controlling small flames. He cauterized your wound. If he had not, you would have died." Iroh looked at Darya over his tea.

Darya was slightly shocked. She looked down at her bandaged side and placed her hand gently on it. _I can't believe he helped me._ The tea was helping her collect herself, but she couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. She tried to hide it with her tea cup.

Iroh's eyebrows raised as he observed the airbender smile. It was not a large smile, nor was it bitter. It was small and sweet. _Interesting…_ Iroh thought. It seemed his nephew had an unexpected admirer. _I might as well help the boy out._

"His scar is a very sensitive subject." Iroh said, interrupting Darya's thoughts. Darya seemed to have forgotten he was in the room because she looked surprised when he spoke.

"Why?" She asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"He gained it from fighting the Fire Lord."

Darya gasped, "His own father?" This was definitely news to her. Suddenly guilt won over triumph. _I'm an idiot._ She thought.

"Zuko spoke out during a war meeting. He was right too, because the plan being presented was an evil one. However it was not his place to speak. By doing this he offended the general who presented the plan. Zuko challenged him to an Agni Kai. Do you know what that is?" Iroh said. Darya nodded. She had seen one as a little girl. She couldn't believe that Zuko had challenged a general to one. They were cruel and deadly.

"When it was time for Zuko to face the general, he was surprised to see that the general would not be his opponent, but instead it was his father."

"Why though? I mean his dad had nothing to do with Zuko's challenge?" Darya couldn't understand.

"The Fire Lord was the host of the meeting. By insulting the general, Zuko insulted his father as well. Zuko refused to fight his father, so he was marked and banished. The only way he can return is with the Avatar." Iroh concluded his sad story. Darya shook her head, dumbfounded. She felt like a veil had been lifted from her eyes. Everything Zuko did made sense now. His anger covered up the pain, and his determination to capture Aang stemmed from hope.

"I think I've been a bit of an ass." Darya stated, resigned. "He still shouldn't be so mean." She wanted to maintain some dignity, even though guilt over bringing up painful memories for Zuko gnawed at her belly.

Iroh chuckled at her glum but stubborn expression. "You didn't know, but I would ask you not to mention it again." Darya nodded in agreement.

"Tell me about yourself then, you are an airbender?" Iroh asked, wondering about this strange girl. Darya nodded again, feeling suddenly wary about this Fire Nation general. He had helped her, talked to her, but she was not about to divulge all of her secrets. She wasn't sure what his reaction would be if he knew she was technically a Fire Nation noble. _I mean what could he do?_ Part of her brain nudged her to open up. _No! You're tired and not thinking straight!_ A louder voice roared. Darya made up her mind to stay quiet for the time being.

She noticed that Iroh was eyeing her curiously and she didn't like it. In that moment she wanted to be alone again more than anything. The events of the day were becoming too much and her side hurt.

"I think I'd like to get some rest now." Darya said politely but sternly. She was a prisoner, but she would not roll over easily. Iroh seemed to sense this.

"That is a good idea, perhaps we can talk in the morning." He said as he stood up. Iroh, like Darya, was stubborn, and he would get his answers. However, he did not want to push too hard.

Iroh turned to leave, glancing back only to say a quick "goodnight" and then he left. Darya was left alone in Zuko's room. Now that she was alone she could really look around, but there was not much to see. In fact, the room was incredibly bare for a teenage boy, let alone a prince. Darya sighed as she fell into the soft blankets. They smelled like cinnamon and ember. In other words, they smelled _divine_. Darya groaned at her traitorous heart for squeezing uncomfortably. _This is different than butterflies_ , she thought as sleep quickly claimed her exhausted form.


	7. A Semi-Civilized Conversation

**Chapter 6 - A Semi-Civilized Conversation**

Darya was drawn from her sleep by the most delicious smell in the world. It was a smell that she was very familiar with and had haunted her every day since she had left the Fire Nation to train with the Air Nomands. It was spicy and savory, rich and smoky, while also being light and fluffy. _Spice cakes!_ Darya rose from bed quickly, too quickly, and she had to stifle a moan of pain as she gripped the bed sheets. The pain passed quickly thankfully, and Darya gingerly rose to her feet. She was unsteady that was for sure, but she was sure she wouldn't fall over.

As she staggered away from the bed, her glider caught her eye across the room. _Iroh must have put it there_. He knew she wasn't strong enough to airbend away, not that she would. She was in too much pain, but she also had no idea where she was. If she wanted to find Aang, she was in the right boat as it was.

She held onto the glider and it helped to steady her. She checked to make sure she looked semi-presentable, and tested the door, praying for it to be unlocked. Thankfully it was. Darya stepped into the dimly lit hallway and let her nose lead the way. Spice cakes were her favorite when she lived in the palace. Every morning a servant would bring in freshly made spice cakes with some butter. Darya's mouth watered at the prospect of finally getting to taste them again.

Voices could be heard from an open door up ahead, and Darya could tell that whatever room lay beyond held her precious spice cakes. She looked in nervously to see that it was a mess hall of sorts. It wasn't large, with only one large table, a sink, an oven, and a cauldron. However, Darya could only stare in disbelief as Iroh and Zuko ate spice cakes.

Iroh noticed her first. He turned his head towards her and gave her a warm smile; Darya couldn't help but return one of her own. Zuko only glared at her, clearly wishing she would disappear.

"How did you get out of my room?" He growled, standing up. Darya was taken aback slightly by his aggression, but then she laughed. The look of shock on his face making her laugh even harder. She had to grip her torn side to keep it from jostling too much.

"It wasn't too hard, it was unlocked after all!" Darya toned her laugh down to a few giggles as she stepped into the room further, the spice cakes beckoning her. Her stomach growled loudly. Iroh's eyebrows shot up upon hearing Darya's stomach while Zuko looked annoyed.

"Eat." Zuko's cold voice ordered, taking both Darya and Iroh by surprise. Darya moved her green eyes onto him, only to find his own dark eyes staring at the half eaten cake in front of him; a light blush tinting his cheeks. Darya felt her own face grow hot and she looked away.

"Thanks", she muttered as she took a seat next to Iroh, cursing herself for not sitting next to Zuko and also cursing herself for wanting to.

She was distracted from her thoughts when Iroh placed a fresh, steaming spice cake in front of her. Her mouth watered as she took her first bite of a spice cake in years. An embarrassing moan escaped her mouth.

"You like them?" Iroh asked, chuckling at the noise she had made.

"Spice cakes were my favorite breakfast as a kid. I haven't had one in years!" Darya exclaimed.

"You have had them before? Spice cakes are very rare and are only found in the Fire Nation. The chef on the ship is very talented." Iroh said, leaning closer to the airbender. Darya knew that she had said something she shouldn't have. She didn't know spice cakes were rare!

"Well, um", she stumbled, trying to come up with a lie.

"Tell the truth." Zuko said from across the table. His voice was low and threatening, sending a not unpleasant shiver down Darya. Her gaze was glued onto him as his golden eyes smoldered with anger and suspicion.

"I was born there." Darya mumbled, unable to stop herself.

"I said don't lie." Zuko growled.

"I'm not!" Darya snapped back, she was no liar.

"But you're an airbender." Zuko said, a look of triumph on his face.

"Yeah I am, my mom was too, but my father was a firebender." Darya said, watching as triumph turned to curiosity.

"I didn't think airbenders married other benders." Zuko said.

"Well they do." Darya huffed, taking another bite of the spice cake. "Although they don't do it often. Or _did_ I guess." She glared at Zuko then, hoping her words made him feel bad. Unfortunately, they seemed to make him angrier. Gold and green sparks flew between their eyes as they battled.

"You must have grown up in the Capital City then. Spike cakes are expensive and mostly found there for the nobles." Iroh said interrupting the staring contest.

Darya snapped her gaze back to him, "Uh, yeah, my dad was a noble. We lived in the palace. I mean I think it was the palace. I just remember this massive red room with dragons all over the walls. I liked to play with them." Darya smiled at her spice cake, remembering her earliest memories. They were not very strong, but they were there. However, she could clearly remember one dragon that had been her favorite. It was massive and golden with ivory teeth and claws.

"What was your father's name?" Iroh asked kindly, pulling Darya from her memories. She was finding herself falling into them more and more recently. _I should keep an eye on that._ She noted to herself.

"Honestly I don't remember. The monks didn't really talk about my heritage much. The only way I knew I was Fire Nation was from my early memories and Monk Gyatso's subtle encouraging." Darya answered honestly. That was as much as she wanted to divulge at the moment. It was true that she didn't know who her father was, but it would be fairly easy to research a noble whose daughter was an airbender. The entire palace had known about her, probably the whole Fire Nation at one point.

"That is very interesting." Iroh said, leaning back in his chair. His face was shadowed in thought, and Darya felt slightly uncomfortable under his analyzing gaze.

"I guess." Darya said, shrugging and tucking into her spice cake again. She felt Zuko's eyes boring into her, but she refused to look up. She was already mad at herself for thinking he was cute, and the more she looked at him the stronger those feelings got. She needed to stop that. He was her enemy, not some boy she could have a crush on. Unfortunately for her, Zuko seemed to catch her attention, in spite of her attempts.

"Uncle, it is time for training." Zuko said stiffly, rising gracefully from his seat. Darya's eyes followed his movements.

"Oh," Iroh said, "yes. Let me finish my breakfast and I will be out in a moment." Zuko nodded and left the room. Darya felt herself relax slightly as she finished the rest of her spice cake.

"You should join us on the deck." Iroh said as he also rose from his seat.

"I'm in no shape to do any kind of training." Darya said, looking at Iroh like he was crazy. Iroh chuckled.

"No of course not, I mean for some fresh air. It will do you good." he said kindly. Darya was silent for a moment. Part of her wanted to just lay down in Zuko's bed and sleep through the pain. It wasn't as bad as before, but it was still bothering her. However, a slightly larger part, the airbender part, craved some fresh air.

"Alright, I'll meet you out there. I'm a bit of a slow traveler at the moment." Darya said with a smile at her joke. Iroh nodded and left the dining hall, leaving Darya alone with an empty plate.

"What am I going to do?" she thought out loud. She stated the facts: she was injured, her bending was probably another day or two away from being back to normal, she didn't have her swords, she had no idea where she was, and she was trapped on a Fire Nation ship with the people hunting Aang. _Well at least I had a warm breakfast._ She told herself, trying to find the bright side. _And Zuko will lead me right back to Aang._ Her lips curled into a mischievous smile.

Darya sighed and pushed herself off of the bench with the help of her staff. The poor thing had taken a beating in the storm but it looked as good as it ever had. She couldn't wait to stretch her wings again and fly. Before the Fire Nation had attacked she had flown daily. Being stuck with her feet on the ground was close to torture.

Darya's side throbbed but she tried to ignore it as she shuffled through the hallways. As she was turning a corner, she ran into the solid armor of a soldier.

"Sorry!" Darya said, looking up to see the startled face of Lieutenant Jee. His cheeks flushed slightly and Darya felt hers do the same. She was not attracted to this man, but her embarrassment at the look he was giving her caused her to blush.

"It's alright, miss. But you should be in bed, resting." Jee said. Darya was taken aback slightly by the kindness in his voice. In her weakened state she almost listened to him, but then she remembered Iroh's request.

"Actually, Iroh said that I should get some fresh air on the deck." she said.

"Let me help you." Jee offered, noticing Darya leaning heavily on her glider.

"No that's alright-" Darya protested, but Jee cut her off.

"Please, you're hurt. I'm going there anyway." Jee said. Darya, rolled her eyes, she was not an idiot. He had been coming from the opposite direction, but she was a little worn out from walking around the rocking ship and her side was bothering her.

"Alright. I suppose I could use some help." Darya conceded, still not very comfortable to have a Fire Nation soldier touching her.

Jee moved to her other side and wrapped his arm around her waist, careful not to touch her injury. Darya leaned onto him and tried not to hear Sokka making fun of her relying on a Fire Nation Soldier.

The pair moved quickly through the hallway until they were in front of the heavy iron door that barred the outside. Jee pulled away from Darya in order to open the door. A cool but refreshing ocean breeze rushed in and Darya encouraged it with a little extra bending of her own. It felt heavenly.

"Miss?" Jee questioned. Darya realized that she had been standing there for a few seconds with her eyes closed and a gentle tornado billowing around her. She let the air stop as she shuffled onto the deck, pleased that she could do at least a little bending.

The sunlight blinded her for only a moment, and then Darya could see nothing but blue. The sky and the ocean came together to kiss in a thin pale line. Wispy white clouds drifted lazily in the cool breeze and Darya once again forgot that she was on a Fire Nation ship. She desperately wanted to fly.

A hand on her side brought her back down to reality.

"Are you sure you're feeling well?" Jee asked, concerned.

"I'm feeling nearly better now. I just needed some fresh air!" Darya said cheerily. She had to make the most of her situation, and at the moment she just wanted to enjoy the feeling of the wind in her hair and enjoy the sound of the waves.

"Would you like to sit down?" Jee asked, not seeming to believe her. Darya found his concern nice, but it was starting to get annoying. She had always been independent to a fault, and even though she had a gash in her side, she still felt like she could take care of herself.

"Oh I'll manage." she smiled, hopeful that her response made it clear that she was alright. Naturally, the Lieutenant did not seem to pick up on this. She opened her mouth to tell him to stop worrying, when she was interrupted.

"Ah Lieutenant Jee, thank you for helping our guest." Iroh's voice sounded over Darya's shoulder. She turned around to see the old man and was honestly happy to see him, hoping he was about to rescue her from Jee.

"She should sit down." Was all Jee said, clearly uncomfortable. Darya was about to say something when she was interrupted once more.

"Lieutenant Jee, I was about to send someone for you. I need a sparring partner." Darya had to focus very hard not to stare as a sweaty and shirtless Zuko approached the group. Somehow she had been so wrapped up with the wind and the clouds that she had missed Zuko sparring on the deck with another soldier. Said soldier was groaning and shuffling off of the deck with a hand on his back. She had also missed the dark look Zuko had given Jee when they had stepped out onto the deck.

"Let me make sure she is comfortable, and then I'll spar with you Prince Zuko." Jee replied courteously, if not a bit stiffly. Darya felt tension roll off of the two men and she had no idea why.

"I can seat myself, thanks for helping me out here though." Darya retorted, tired of being treated like a fragile doll. She was hurt but she wasn't going to shatter into a million pieces. Jee looked at her in concern and was about to say something Darya knew would annoy her. In order to avoid it she pushed past the three men, admittedly slowly, and moved to sit in one of several comfortable looking chairs around a Pai Sho table.

She sat down with a small groan and let her glider rest in her lap. She looked back over to Iroh, Jee, and Zuko. Jee and Zuko were looking at her like she had grown a second head, while Iroh simply looked amused at her boldness. He was also the first to move.

"Well, it seems our guest has decided things. Lieutenant Jee, do not go easy on Prince Zuko." Iroh said as he sat in the chair opposite Darya.

"She's _not_ our guest, she's our prisoner." Zuko spat, stalking over to his uncle and glaring at Darya.

"Well this is the comfiest prison I've ever been in." Darya spat back. She was not exactly in the mood to be yelled at, but it was better than being molly coddled like Jee had been doing. At least Zuko didn't treat her like she was weak.

"As soon as you are healed, you are being moved to a cell, so don't get comfortable." Zuko snarled, towering over her; Darya had to swallow away her butterflies.

"But your room is _so_ comfy. I might just kick you out permanently." She teased. Zuko seemed too angry for words because he spun around and snapped at Jee. The two moved away from Darya and Iroh as they began to practice their firebending. Darya told herself she was studying his technique in order to gain the upper hand when she eventually fought him. However, she could not stop the rather inappropriate thoughts that crept into her mind as she watched Zuko move through his stances. His body was hard and lean with well defined muscles, much more than she would have thought. She knew that firebending was grueling on the body, but she could now see what it took to be a master firebender.

"My nephew is very talented, don't you think?" Iroh drew Darya from her study. She blushed, embarrassed that she had been staring to blatantly.

"Oh, um yeah I guess." she stuttered. Then she remembered something. "Although on Kyoshi I kicked his butt."

Both Darya and Iroh laughed.

"Would you like to play a game of Pai Sho?" Iroh asked her after a comfortable silence.

"I don't know how to play." Darya replied.

"I will teach you, then. Everyone should know how to play Pai Sho."

The two spent the next two hours playing Pai Sho. Darya never came even close to winning, but Iroh was happy to see that she was learning fast. Darya was surprised at how comfortable she was on this boat. Granted she knew she was probably just weak from her injury, but she found that her defenses were much lower than usual. She was sure that the easy, fatherly like way Iroh interacted with her was part of why she felt so...safe. It was the only word that felt right. She knew it wasn't supposed to be the word that she felt, but they could have let her die, yet they had saved her, bandaged her, and fed her.

"Ok, I get it, you're good at this game." Darya sighed as she lost once again. She slumped back in her chair.

"Oh my dear, Pai Sho is much more than just a game." Iroh said. Darya laughed lightly.

"If you say so."

Darya looked around and noticed that not only had Zuko and Jee stopped training, but she was alone with Iroh on the deck of the boat. The sun was past noon but still high while the air had gone from crisp to just right.

"It is a beautiful day, is it not?" Iroh said. Darya hummed in agreement and snuggled into her chair. Her side was feeling much better and the wind was caressing her face.

"Are you tired?" Iroh asked, slightly concerned that perhaps the girl had overdone it for the day.

"No, just very comfortable. My side has been hurting for most of the day but I can hardly feel it now. It's also good to be in the open air. Being indoors is very difficult for an airbender." She said, opening her eyes to look at Iroh.

"I can understand. At night, I feel like I am separated from a part of myself. It is only when the sun rises to I feel whole." Iroh replied. Darya was struck by the wisdom in his words.

"I think firebending and airbending are closely related. Our strength comes from within, from the heart." Darya said.

"You are wise for one so young." Iroh stated matter of factly.

"It happens when you grow up with a bunch of monks." Darya said, sadness seeping into her tone and her mood. Iroh seemed to sense this.

"I am going to go inside." He said simply as he rose from his chair. Darya ignored him and sunk into her chair even more.

Darya missed Gyatso. He had been like a father to her for most of her life. He had even recognized her Fire Nation heritage as a positive thing, unlike the elders. He had called her his little dragon. She looked at the glider in her hands and studied to beautiful dragon head. It had always brought her comfort when she was flying alone. She felt like she was flying with a dragon. When she first flew with it, she had sworn that one day she would fly with a real dragon. Even though she wasn't a firebender, she had always felt close ties to dragons. They reminded her of her time in the palace and of the fierce nature of her people. Now her people were against her, and she hadn't seen even a little sign of a dragon.

Darya sighed and looked out to the ocean. She wanted to fly so badly it hurt. Her heart clenched at the thought of another day passing with her on the ground. It was unnatural and wrong. She knew she would have to return to the boat, but just to feel, for a second, the freedom of the air would have been enough.

Darya used her airbending to open the wings of the glider. She inspected the red fabric closely, making sure there were no tears in it. She knew she shouldn't try flying now, not with her being so weak, but perhaps tomorrow she would have the strength for a short flight.

"Is that a dragon?" Zuko's rasping voice from behind her chair made Darya leapt out of her seat. She regretted it a moment later when her side blossomed in pain and she nearly collapsed. Strong arms were around her, keeping her from falling onto the cold metal of the deck.

"You startle too easily." Zuko noted. Darya looked up at him as he placed her back into the chair she had been sitting in. He had been surprisingly gentle.

"I was thinking." Darya said dumbly, cursing herself for sounding so stupid. Zuko snorted.

"Apparently." he added, taking a seat in the chair Iroh had been using previously.

"What are you doing?" Darya eyed him suspiciously. Not that she was complaining, but she knew whatever he was here for, it was not for her pleasant company. He had bathed, and had changed into a set of clean clothes. His royal pony tail stood tall and proud, the small fire crown glinted in the sunlight.

"I needed some air." he sighed, surprising her. She had been readying herself for an interrogation.

"Oh, well, this is the right place for it." she said, not sure what to say. For some reason, Zuko was not being openly hostile towards her, and it was throwing her.

"You never answered my question. Is that a dragon carved into that thing?" Zuko said, redirecting Darya's focus.

"Yeah," Darya said, bending the wings shut and resting the glider on her lap again. "It was made to remind me of home."

"I thought airbenders were into simple things. The Avatar's glider is plain." Zuko analyzed. Darya had to admit that he was observant.

"Yeah well I was never very good at following the rules, and neither was the monk that made this for me. Most gliders look like Aang's, but Gyatso made mine special. It was kind of hard moving away from the Fire Nation." Darya admitted.

"Do you still miss it?" Zuko asked. Darya looked up at him, still curious as to why he was being nice to her.

"The monks or the Fire Nation?" she asked, hoping he would at least look ashamed. To her amazement, a flicker of guilt swept across his face, but it was gone as quickly as it had come.

"The Fire Nation." Zuko said, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Yeah I miss it." Darya said. "I miss the market in the capital the most I think. I would have said the spice cakes, but I got to check that off my list this morning."

Darya smiled at that and she thought for a moment that a ghost of a smile had crossed Zuko's face. She could not believe that they were sitting here having an actual conversation when only hours ago he was yelling at her. _Maybe there's something under that hard exterior…_

However, he must have realized he was being too nice, too open, because a second later he was standing.

"You should go inside soon." he said, his hard mask firmly in place. Despite the nice advice of his words, the tone was biting. Zuko quickly left the deck, leaving Darya confused in his wake.

* * *

 _What is wrong with me?_ Zuko thought as he closed the door to the deck and retreated into the bowels of the ship. He desperately wanted to shut himself away in his room, but he knew that would be dangerous. _Her_ presence was there.

Somehow Darya had caught his attention when she had flown away after the battle of Kyoshi Island. It was the wink she gave him that had started it. No one had done something so insolent, so cocky, or so flirtatious to him before. He hated himself for liking it.

And then the girl just _had_ to be on Avatar Island. He knew she was travelling with the Avatar, but seeing her again made his blood boil with anger and something else. He refused to call it attraction. He admitted she was decent looking. Her blond hair was a nice change from the typical reds and blacks of the Fire Nation, and her green eyes shone with a brilliant fire. Her fighting was excellent as well, and her loyalty to her friends was admirable, if foolish.

When Zhao had touched her on Avatar Island, he had seen red. The thought of that man having anything to do with Darya sickened him. He had seen the repulsion on her face when Zhao had touched her, and he was desperate to never see that again. When they had been freed by Aang, Zuko had run, terrified of these thoughts and feelings. He should not be feeling the need to protect this airbender. She was his enemy! She had fought him multiple times and it was clear they were on opposing sides.

He could not believe what he had said to her when he had caught her on the river bank. _I'll save you from the pirates?_ What was he thinking. But feeling her shiver in his arms when he had said it had been worth it, and he was desperate for the look of attraction he had seen in her eyes to be real.

 _Stop! You can't think like that!_ He scolded himself as he stalked the halls of the ship, not sure where his feet were taking him. _So long as it's away from her._

He had tried not to look at her that morning in the dining hall. However, the noise that she had made when she had taken a bite of the spice cake had nearly killed him. And then to find out that she was actually part Fire Nation. He was a mess and he hated himself for being so weak for a girl. And he hated her for doing this to him. And he hated that she wasn't Fire Nation _now._ He hated his family more than ever at the moment, and at the same time, he was ashamed that he hated his family for keeping him apart from a girl.

He truly had gone onto the deck for fresh air. And it was all because of her. When he had seen Jee leading her onto the deck in the morning, with his hand resting on her waist and standing so close to her, his blood began to boil in a distracting and annoying way. He had seen her smile at Jee, which had made it worse. He knew the young Lieutenant was attracted to Darya, most of the men on the ship were. But Jee was so obvious; it made Zuko want to be sick. His own jealousy was also making him sick, but he found it harder and hard to deny.

He had tried to draw her attention with an impressive display of firebending, only to see that his uncle had distracted her. He was furious now. He stalked over to them and demanded Jee spar. Perhaps the airbender could see how much more skilled Zuko was at firebending. He had seen her staring at him when they began sparring, and it made him fight even harder and with more precision than he had ever used before. However, once more his uncle had to ruin it by playing Pai Sho with her.

After they had all returned below deck, Jee kept making subtle observations about Darya's beauty or kindness that made him want to throw the Lieutenant overboard. Even the other crew members were getting a little sick of it. They knew better than to make any move on the airbender because she was a prisoner, despite how well she was being treated. Jee would learn his place soon enough.

So Zuko had left the Lieutenant to his pinning and had gone onto the deck for some fresh air and space. But when he had seen her there with her glider open, looking like she might bolt, he had become angry. He had gone over to yell at her and to rip the glider out of her hands, but her expression stopped him.

He had seen Darya angry, happy, teasing, and frightened, but never before had he seen such sorrow on a person before. It was bittersweet and it made his heart squeeze unpleasantly. Instead of yelling, he had unconsciously walked over and had a decent conversation with her. How? He had no idea. He was still trying to understand what had come over him in that short moment of conversation. His had felt guilt over the death of the airbenders once more when she had mentioned them. He did not like to think about what his great-grandfather had done, despite his outward appearance.

Then his heart had fluttered like a hummingbird when she had smiled at her own joke. He knew he was in trouble when he had almost smiled back. That was when he realized what kind of danger he was in. He had only been with one girl, Mai, and that was only because he felt he was _supposed_ to be with her. This was something different, and it reminded him of some of the stories his mother used to tell him. It terrified him because they were the romance stories with princes and princesses.

So he ran. He ran because he should not, _could not_ feel this way for the airbender. She was the enemy and that was all. A pretty enemy, and enemy with wit and a smile that lit up like the sun, but still and enemy. Zuko kept up his pacing of the halls well into the night, trying and failing to keep a certain blond haired girl out of his mind.


	8. The Blue Spirit

_Hi guys! It's been awhile since I've posted but I just started student teaching so I've been pretty busy. Anyways, here is the new chapter! I would love for reviews on my writing and how I can improve!_

-62MoonParade

 **Chapter 7 - The Blue Spirit**

Darya had been on Zuko's ship for three days now. It had been very routine so far. Wake up, eat, sit outside with Iroh and play Pai Sho, lunch, explore, eat, sleep. The one thing that was even more constant that her schedule was the absence of Zuko. Ever since their oddly nice conversation three days previously, Darya had seen Zuko for only a few seconds. It seemed that as soon as she entered a room he would leave it. She supposed he probably could not stand the sight of her or something along those lines, but it was confusing all the same. She didn't care too much, holding little respect for the Prince other than thinking he looked nice.

Even though her side had improved greatly since her first day, Zuko had yet to remove her from his room. She could walk easily and her side hardly hurt her, being more itchy than painful, so it confused her as to why he had not made good on his threats to throw her in the dungeon. However, she was certainly not complaining. She was more than happy about this because she was dreading going from a warm bed that smelled like embers and cinnamon to a cold and hard cell.

She was surprised with how much she enjoyed Iroh's company as well. He was fatherly and kind, bringing Darya comfort she had not expected. She knew how dangerous it was growing close to the man who was called the Dragon of the West, but she couldn't help herself. She looked forward to their Pai Sho games, even though she consistently lost.

At the moment, Darya was making her way to the deck with her glider in hand. It had been three days since she had last flown and that was about to change. She knew that Zuko would try to stop her, but once she made him realize she had nowhere to flee to but open waters, she knew he would let her. _And if he won't listen, maybe Iroh will talk some sense into him, or I'll just fly anyway, it's not like he could catch me._

Darya used airbending to open the door to the deck, and the hard metal ground open. Stepping onto the deck, Darya was blinded by the setting sun. It was at an angle that shone directly into her eyes and it hurt until her eyes adjusted from the gloom of the ship.

In front of her was a sight similar to the one she had seen when she had first played Pai Sho with Iroh. Zuko and Jee were facing off, taking turns attacking each other with fire. Iroh sat by, shouting encouragement and corrections to the prince. Darya started to walk over, but barely made it before she was being summoned.

"You, prisoner, come here!" Zuko barked the order as he dodged an attack from Jee. The fight evaporated as all three men waited for Darya to come over.

 _So now he wants to talk._ "Fine," Darya sighed, "I was coming over anyway." The last part was muttered under her breath, but she heard Iroh chuckle and Zuko's face turn a darker shade of red, which meant she had not been as quiet as she had thought.

As she walked up to Zuko, she had to mentally scold herself for letting her eyes fall to his bare chest.

"What are you doing with _that?_ " Zuko snarled, pointing at her glider. Darya twirled it open, earning a glare from Zuko.

"I'm going for a fly, it's been way too long." Darya said with a shrug, a glint in her eye that dared him to say no.

"And you think we'll sit by while you run off to the Avatar?" Zuko's voice rose dangerously. Darya knew this would happen and she had prepared her argument.

"I realize that this is a weird request for a prisoner to make, and I realize I'm a prisoner, but it's not like I can go anywhere. I mean, there is nothing but water for who knows how far, not to mention I don't know where I am to begin with. I got really turned around in that storm and Aang could be a world away for all I know. I just need to bend again. It would be like you not being able to firebend, that would be awful, right?" Darya could hear how ridiculous her rambling she sounded. _All that preparation for nothing and now he will never let me go because I sound like an idiot._ "Not to mention I-"

"Fine, you can go if it will get you to shut up!" Zuko yelled, throwing his hands in the air in annoyance. Darya's heart stopped.

"Really?!" she screamed, joy consuming her. She wrapped her arms around Zuko and hugged him tightly.

"Wha- get off!" Zuko said, dumbfounded as to why this girl was suddenly hugging him. He was angrier that he liked it.

Darya just laughed and ran to the edge of the ship, jumping over the railing and plunging into the ocean.

"No!" all three men yelled as they watched the blond girl leap to her death.

Iroh, Zuko, and Jee all searched the water for Darya to surface. After several seconds of nothing, Jee began to shed his remaining clothes, preparing to jump in and save the girl.

As he was about to leap, a rushing sound made all three men pause. The water on the side of the ship began to bubble and foam as if heated from below. With a hiss of steam, Darya shot out of the water with her glider open. The snarling dragon seemed to come alive as it glinted in the sun and the water evaporated off of it.

The three men stood back as diamond droplets of water trailed behind Darya and rained down on them. Darya spun in the air and whooped for joy. Her heart felt light as a feather. The joy of freedom was consuming her and she quickly forgot about the ship below her. She spun in the air to dry herself off and laughter bubbled out of her like a pot boiling over. Darya straightened out and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the air through her hair and the soft sounds of cloth rustling from her glider and clothes.

"Stay in sight of the ship!" a faint voice called to her, causing her to be brought back to reality for a moment. She looked down and saw that she was high above the Fire Nation vessel, which now looked very small. She could see a very small and very angry Zuko glaring up at her while the equally small Iroh and Jee stood with their mouths agape.

Darya dove back down towards the bow of the boat. When she was right below the railing and right above the water she sent a powerful blast of air into the water, causing it to spray and drench the three firebenders, who now looked extremely annoyed.

"I will! Cool off Zuko!" she laughed gleefully and climbed into the air once again. This time she decided to stretch her airbending muscles and show off a bit. She was feeling much more her usual cheerful and confident self. Darya did several loops and twirls. She would climb high into the sky, almost out of the sight of the boat, despite being directly above it, then plummet down to the earth again. She would pull out of the dive right before she touched the water, and enjoyed seeing the ripples it caused in the ocean.

As Darya was climbing up once more, she noticed a ship in the distant horizon belching black smoke. It was very far off, but Darya could make out two smoke stacks. _Only a Fire Nation ship produces that much smoke_ , she thought as she looked back down at Zuko's ship. _I don't think it would be a good idea for the Fire Nation to know I'm a captive._

With that, Darya's joyful flight was cut short. She dropped to the earth and gracefully landed on the deck of the ship in front of Iroh and Zuko, who were conversing at the Pai Sho table. As she landed, they both looked up, surprised to see her grounded so quickly.

"There's a Fire Nation ship coming." she said without preamble. The reaction of the two firebenders confirmed Darya's suspicions that the Fire Nation would not be friendly towards her. However, she was slightly confused, because they immediately began their plans to hide her.

"I realize I probably shouldn't remind you, but don't you _want_ to hand me over to the Fire Nation?" Darya said, interrupting them.

"You will be turned over to the Fire Nation, but by me, not by some fisherman who wants to become a general." Zuko snarled, taking a step forward and grabbing onto Darya's arm. He began to pull her towards the door leading under the ship, but Darya ripped her arm out of his before he could make it very far, making her side twinge in protest. Zuko looked like he was about to spit fire at her.

"I can walk on my own, thanks." Darya snapped. She did not like being manhandled, even though her heart sped up at his touch. Darya stalked past him and into the ship. Zuko followed behind, seething but staying quiet.

"So where am I going to hide?" Darya asked, the silence becoming stifling. Zuko was still behind her, allowing her to lead the way, so she went into his room, not knowing where else to go. She immediately regretted that decision however, when the already tense air quickly thickened to tense and awkward. _I'm an idiot!_

"If that ship belongs to who I think it does, then there is nowhere on this ship that you could hide safely." Zuko started, his voice cold and clipped, but his eyes searched for something to land on other than her. Darya would have noticed this if she had not been doing the same. However, this statement drew her attention.

"Who is it?" she said, watching as Zuko became angrier.

"Zhao." he snarled. Darya felt her stomach drop as she remembered the horrible crawling sensation that man had sent along her skin when he had touched her. "He has been keeping tabs on me. He is hoping to capture the Avatar before me. You can be used to draw the Avatar to him."

Darya felt her stomach drop even further, but she was determined to put on a brave face; she did not want Zuko to see her fear.

"Ok." Darya said, trying and failing to keep her voice still. Zuko glanced up and was surprised to see this girl who had always teased him look so pale. She had been paler when she had been injured several nights ago, but this was pale from fear not blood loss. "What are we going to do then?"

"You are going to hide in plain sight. My uncle is going to bring you some crew uniforms. You will keep silent and still in order to avoid attracting attention." Darya nodded and sat down on Zuko's bed, feeling slightly overwhelmed. She had been afraid for her life when the Fire Nation had attacked 100 years ago, but this was a new kind of fear. Zhao had made her feel dirty and violated, and he had only touched a lock of her hair. She had hoped to never see him again, but it seemed he was destined to follow her like Zuko was destined to follow Aang. _Aang..._

"Stop looking like that" Zuko said, his usually hard voice was slightly softer than normal. Darya looked up, green eyes meeting brown.

"Like what?" she said, confused by his shift in tone.

"Like there's no hope. I'll get him off my ship." _He sounds like Iroh,_ Darya thought. She looked at him and felt what little mask she had up, slip.

"Zhao makes me very … uncomfortable, Zuko." Darya said, not sure why she was confessing a weakness to Zuko.

"I remember." Zuko turned away from her and stared at the dual blades hanging on the wall. "When he touched your hair."

Darya was surprised that he remembered, but then again, he had defended her then. It had surprised her then, but she was coming to see that Zuko was more than an angry prince. _He is almost being nice right now._

"If he discovers who I am, I will fight him with all I have. I will not be chained by that man again." Darya said, her voice stronger now. Zuko's presence was calming her down. She did not feel safe, but she did feel protected and that was more than she could have imagined possible from the cold prince.

"I would expect nothing less." Zuko sighed. Darya's eyebrows shot up. _Did he just compliment me?! Surely I'm dreaming._

"Was that a compliment?" Darya, still in shock, could not pass up the opportunity to tease him. Zuko's relaxed posture froze and he seemed to realize that he had indeed complimented her.

"Boy, Zuko, I had no idea that-"

"Shut up!" Zuko snapped, turning back towards Darya, his eyes blazing. Darya did not flinch however. He had given her her confidence back, and now that it was up she intended it to stay there.

"Zuko-" Darya started, a large grin on her face.

"And stop calling me 'Zuko'." Zuko interrupted again, "I'm not your friend, I am your superior. You will call me 'Prince Zuko' or 'Your majesty' or 'sir'!"

Before Darya had a chance to respond, the door to Zuko's room was opened. _When did it get shut?_ Iroh stepped in carrying a set of red and black clothes. He looked between the two teens, one smiling and one smoking slightly.

"Did I interrupt something?" he asked, confused.

Zuko did not respond, he huffed and stormed out of the room. His hands were smoldering slightly and his cheeks were bright red.

"Zuko was trying to cheer me up I think." Darya said chuckling. Iroh did not look surprised, which in turn surprised Darya.

"Is that typical of Zuko then? Cheering up prisoners?" she asked as Iroh set the clothing on the bed beside her. Iroh let out a chuckle.

"My nephew is very complicated. He does not deal with his emotions very well." Darya was so confused by that statement, but no matter how many questions she asked, Iroh continued to evade her. He simply asked her to get changed and to join them on the bridge.

* * *

Zuko kept his eyes glued to the map that Lieutenant Jee was motioning towards. He was trying to pay attention, but his mind kept wandering to the airbender disguised as a Fire Nation soldier. She stuck out like a sore thumb, and he was desperate that Zhao, if the ship did indeed belong to him, would not notice the soldier in the baggy uniform. Darya was by no means small, but she was also not a trained soldier. Her thin frame was accentuated by the uniform made for a man almost twice her size, but it would have to do.

 _I should have sent her somewhere Zhao wouldn't be_ , he thought to himself. But he wanted her close, just in case she was recognized. His need to protect her had grown when he had healed her wound. After that, he felt somewhat responsible for her. He told himself it was because he had spent a lot of energy controlling the small flames and that it would have been a waste if she died after that. However, when he had seen her pale at the mention of Zhao, he could not help but remember the hungry face of the commander when he had noticed her back in the temple.

The Fire Nation vessel that they had seen approaching steadily aligned itself with their ship.

"What do they want?" Zuko growled. He had hoped they would just pass by. Luck was never on his side it seemed.

"Perhaps a sporting game of Pai Sho." Iroh said from where he sat playing Pai Sho with another crewman. Zuko sent a glare his way as one of his soldiers escorted a man in a similar uniform onto the bridge. As he stepped in, two other men stepped behind him.

"The hunt for the Avatar has been given prime importance. All information regarding the Avatar must be reported directly to Admiral Zhao." The soldier wasted no time with introductions.

"Zhao has been promoted? Well, good for him." Iroh said as he continued to play Pai Sho. Zuko sent a glare towards his uncle. That was good for Zhao, but not good for Zuko. _Or Darya._ Zuko scolded himself for using her name. She was "the airbender, prisoner, girl", nothing more.

"I've got nothing to report to Zhao. Now get off my ship and let us pass." Zuko grumbled. He was ashamed to admit it, but it _was_ mostly true. He had the Avatar's friend, but she had no idea where the Avatar was either.

"Admiral Zhao is not allowing ships in or out of this area" the herald said stiffly, puffing out his chest. _He knows something._ Zuko thought, not daring to look at Darya and draw attention to her. Anger bubbled up in his chest.

"Off my ship!" he yelled. The herald and his two companions turned and retreated. Zuko tried to ignore Iroh's exclamation as he won the Pai Sho game. His face was twisted into a grimace, and he tried desperately to ignore the panic rising in him. If Zhao was not allowing them to leave the ship, then they could not search for the Avatar.

 _He will find the Avatar before me at this rate. He has armies at his disposal while I cannot even move my ship._ Zuko's hope was fading fast, and along with it his face fell and he stalked out of the control room before his men noticed.

* * *

Darya wandered around the ship, uncomfortable in the borrowed soldiers uniform, but unwilling to expose her identity to any prying eyes. Most, if not all, of the men on the ship knew who she was, but this way if one of them were to show disloyalty to Zuko, they would have a hard time finding her among the many passageways of the ship.

Zuko had stalked off an hour previously from the meeting with Zhao's men and she had yet to see him surface. _He's probably sulking, the little baby. Just because someone throws a wrench into your plans doesn't mean you give up._ Darya had been feeling sympathy towards Zuko after hearing about his father's abuse. She had even felt growing respect that he kept hope in his heart. However, she was no longer feeling that respect. She didn't want him to catch Aang, and would do everything in her power to stop him, but he just…gave up. Like Aang meant nothing to him and all of his hard work was just for fun. He was throwing away his throne, and Darya hated quitters.

 _I need some fresh air._ Darya thought as she opened the stiff door leading to the deck. She didn't want to risk airbending it open, so she struggled through. As she cracked the door open, she heard voices from the deck float in through the crack.

"Don't give up hope yet. You can still find the Avatar before Zhao." Iroh said softly. Darya felt a rush of appreciation for the old general. He really did care for Zuko's welfare.

"How, Uncle? With Zhao's resources, it's just a matter of time before he captures the Avatar. My honor, my throne, my country, I'm about to lose them all." Zuko's voice, full of desperation and fear, hit Darya like a hammer. She had never heard him sound so vulnerable, and she was sure that only Iroh was on the deck with him. To hear how he did not actually care about Aang was another thing. He did not want to hurt Aang; Aang's death _wasn't_ the end goal. If Darya had to put her glider on it, she would bet that Zuko could care less about the balance being restored. He just cared about his home.

A surge of compassion rushed through Darya as she opened the door completely and walked out onto the deck. As she did this, the light from the setting sun blinded her. While momentarily blinded she ran into something soft and short.

"Oh Darya, I did not see you there." Iroh apologized as she bounced off his round belly.

"Sorry, I didn't see you either." Darya muttered, wanting to speak to Zuko, but not wanting to seem too anxious.

"My nephew is dealing with things that one so young should not be burdened with." Iroh said, sagely. He gave Darya a knowing look and walked away. _I can relate_. Darya thought as she carefully walked towards Zuko. She did not want to be discovered, but she just had to talk to him. That desperation and fear were not coming from the Zuko she knew, and it was painful to watch.

The Prince himself stood staring out into the darkening ocean. The stars were just starting to light, and Darya couldn't help but pause at the beautiful sight. Zuko had yet to turn around, and she wanted to enjoy this brief moment of silent before he began yelling at her. She knew that as soon as she spoke he would lash out. And yet the thought of leaving him alone was worse than the potential yelling.

"Zuko." Darya said, taking a step forward, bracing herself for the fire storm. Yet nothing happened. Zuko's shoulders tensed up briefly, and then they fell with a sigh. Darya took courage in the fact and she stepped forwards once more so that she was just behind him. Without thinking, she gently placed a hand on Zuko's left shoulder.

He turned his face slightly, and Darya could see shock stretching the scar that now faced her.

"What are you doing?" He asked, surprisingly soft. Darya could not believe that Zuko's voice could be so heart-breakingly soft, and for a moment her heart melted. It took her a second to remind herself that despite his good looks, the prince had a fiery temper.

"I heard you talking to Iroh," she admitted, her voice running without a thought. "I've never seen you like this Zuko, and honestly it worries me."

"And why should you care about how I feel?" Zuko snarled, but it lacked its usual venom. Darya did feel bad, but she was also annoyed at how quickly he was giving up.

"Because, Zuko, it turns out I'm a big softie and while you have kidnapped me and held me prisoner, you have always treated me with respect. Not only that, but you healed me when you could, and probably should, have let me die. Oh and let's not forget that the other night, you and I actually have a _decent_ conversation. So excuse me if I want to return the favor." Darya snapped. She was tired of wearing this uniform and she was tired of her side lightly itching, but mostly she was tired of Zuko pouting. He stared at her in shock as she continued her rant. "You are strong, Zuko, and clever, but you always end of burning yourself with your own fire by not using your strengths. You could be a great leader if you stopped pouting. You would probably have Aang now if you would use your brain! We haven't exactly been subtle in our travels. Now cut it out because I will _not_ let your moment of weakness allow Zhao to take me prisoner and do Appa knows what to me."

Darya was panting, her green eyes bright. She had no idea where her sudden anger came from. She had never been particularly good at comforting others, and her only way of getting Zuko out of his funk was to yell at him until he fought back and was back to his normal self. She was not sure if her plan would work, so she watched for any sign of the old, prickly, Zuko.

Zuko only stared at her. During her rant, he had turned around completely and let Darya's hand fall to her side. She had also removed the Fire Nation helmet that had hid her face all day. Her blonde hair was slightly crazy from being inside the helmet and it drifted in the light breeze. Zuko's eyes were so wide that Darya was afraid his eyebrows would touch the royal knot that sat on top of his head. As she watched, though, his face began to change. His eyes fell, his mouth formed a hard line, and steam began to rise off of his body. Darya took a step back, noticing the warning signs of an angry Zuko.

What she was not expecting was for him to lunge at her like lighting. Before she could let out even a squeak, his lips were on hers. Darya froze. _WHAT?!_ Her mind screamed as Zuko continued to kiss her, the smoke from his body warming her up through the uncomfortable uniform. His arms moved to encircle her and she lost her train of thought. For a moment, time stopped and there was only the two of them in the world. The warmth from his body wrapped around her, and her heart beat with heavy happiness.

The moment was shattered by Zuko breaking off the kiss. His eyes were laden with emotion as he looked at hear, and it took her breath away. Then he turned, spinning around and dashing into the ship. Darya was left frozen on the deck having no idea what had just happened.

"Did he seriously just kiss me?!" she whispered frantically as she began to pace the deck. "No way. I mean he hates me right? And I hate him so he couldn't have kissed me. Well I don't _hate_ him, but kissing is a whole other matter. And why did he kiss me! But I kissed back? Does that mean something?" Darya continued to pace and mutter under her breath. Her head spun and she felt torn. On one hand, she was upset because _Zuko_ had just _kissed_ her. Why? Who knows. Darya couldn't even begin to work out what went on in the firebender's brain. Sure they had had a few moments where they weren't fighting, but surely that couldn't lead to any serious feelings. But that lead to the second feeling that was tearing her up.

Joy. Pure unadulterated joy. _Zuko_ had just _kissed_ her! She had no business being happy that her enemy had kissed her, but she _was_. Darya had never kissed a boy before, and now her first kiss was the prince of the Fire Nation. Her sworn enemy, but also the boy she found attractive, smart, and surprisingly kind. In that moment when they were the only ones in the world, she had felt protected, wanted, and something else that she dare not name. No, that was something she would never admit to. Not until she died would she ever give that feeling a name.

Darya was brought out of her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder. She spun around, frightened that it might be one of Zhao's men, only to find Iroh. She let out a nervous giggle. Part of her was sad it wasn't Zuko, but she was also relieved that she didn't have to face him yet.

"You should come inside. It is music night, and I have only heard stories about Airbender songs." Iroh invited with a smile.

"Honestly, that sounds lovely." Darya laughed again, this time with relief. Her mind hurt with the thinking and her feet hurt with the pacing. The moon and stars were now in full control of the night sky, telling her that she had been on deck for an hour at least.

"Yes well, Jee refuses to start without you!" Iroh laughed, a big belly laugh that made Darya laugh as well. For another moment that night she enjoyed to company of Fire Nation royalty.

* * *

After several hours of good company and food, Darya's mind was nearly calm. She told herself it was probably normal to be shaken up after her enemy kissed her. She was just falling asleep while Lieutenant Jee finished some sappy love song while making eyes at her, when Iroh's voice interrupted her. "I am going to the deck for some fresh air. Darya, would you like to join me?"

Darya just nodded, too tired to respond. She was not sure why Iroh wanted her to join him, but she was too tired to complain. As they reached the deck, Iroh began to play the tsumi horn he had played below. The song was terribly sad, but it was played beautifully. Darya moved towards the railing and couldn't help but remember the kiss between herself and Zuko.

Her mind turned towards Aang. If she had not flown after him, she would have never kissed Zuko. Part of her wished that she had found Aang, returned him to the rest of the group, and they could continue on their way. But then she would not have had her first kiss, and while it was not with someone she was expecting, it was still nice.

Darya turned around when she heard light footsteps creeping up the stairs that lead to the deck of the ship. Iroh greeted the dark figure that now boarded the ship. "Where have you been, Prince Zuko? You missed music night! Lieutenant Jee sang a stirring love song." Darya's heart gave an unpleasant lurch as the scarred face of the prince was illuminated by the faint firelight.

Zuko didn't even look up as he trudged past, looking as if he had just fought some major battle. "I'm going to bed. No disturbances."

"Goodnight." Darya whispered before she could stop herself. She wanted to know where they stood now. If he reverted back to his old ways, she would be confused but it would be best for everyone. If he didn't . . . well, she wasn't sure what she would do then.

Zuko paused with his hand on the door as Iroh started up the horn. Their eyes met for a brief moment and Darya felt warmth creep up her cheeks. She cursed herself for blushing. Zuko quirked an eyebrow and then turned to open the door. But he just stood there, as if he was not sure what to do now. Darya watched, anxious to see what he would do.

A faint "goodnight" floated past his lips as he rushed into the belly of the ship. Darya smiled softly and turned back to the sea in order to avoid to obviously curious Iroh. Well, she still was unclear as to what their relationship was, but it seemed that Zuko was not going to ignore what had happened. While it frightened her to think about what was going to happen from this moment out, she couldn't help the warmth that had infused her body. As the boat rocked back and forth gently in the harbor, Darya forgot about the looming presence of Zhao, and instead focused on the gentle night breeze that surrounded her.


	9. Author's note

Hello to everyone who has been enjoying the story so far. I wanted to say thank you for the favorites and the follows because they make me realize that there are people who actually want to read this story. I have not gotten many reviews on this so far and that is ok, although any advice on writing or encouragement is always welcome. I wanted to let you all know that I am still working on this story and it isn't ending anytime soon. I have been incredibly busy lately with school and getting married that this story has been put on hold for a little bit. However, I am happy to say that I am have recently been relieved of a rather heavy burden and I have had a lot more time to write. Chapter 8, based on the episode "Bato of the Water Tribe" is almost finished and will be coming to you wonderful people soon!


	10. Bato of the Water Tribe

**Chapter 8 – Bato of the Water Tribe**

Darya had taken to sitting on top of the helm. Not in it, mind you, but perched like some great gold and red bird. Her airbending robes flapped around her and she let her yellow hair blow freely. She had her feet tucked under her as she crouched down, ready to launch herself into the air.

It was only a few hours after they had left Zhao's port behind, but Darya could hardly stand the uncomfortable armor that she had been disguised in. The horrible presence of Zhao was also dissipating, which was something else that added to Darya's positive mood.

The kiss between her and Zuko the night before still tried to creep into her mind, but she was determined to avoid dealing with it as much as possible. _I am just going to sit up here, enjoy the air, and wait until Aang flies out of the clouds to save me. Or I will grow old and die here._

She had no intention of addressing her growing feelings for the fiery prince, not wanting to make a decision in either direction. _I couldn't possibly start a relationship with him, not to mention he probably regrets kissing me. Maybe he hit is head or something, because there is no way that he actually wanted to kiss me or has any feelings for me. And I am having trouble thinking about fighting him in the end. I can't stand this! Everything was black and white, easy, and now it is all messed up! Damn Zuko and his attractiveness! Why couldn't I meet a nice earthbender._

Darya shuddered at that thought. Earthbenders and airbenders did not get along very well. Darya couldn't imagine being tied to the ground. At that thought, she stood up on the helm, the wind coaxing her to join it in its freedom. Darya opened her glider and jumped, tucking her feet onto the foot rest. She swung around the ship, hovering above it as it slowly pushed through the waves. A flock of sea birds flew above her, and Darya decided to join them.

They squawked in anger as their flight was rudely interrupted. They wheeled about and Darya laughed as they continued to voice their annoyance with her. She dove to the left and swung around the ship in a large arc. Then she put on a burst of speed and shot up into the air to gain altitude.

 _I wish I could stay up here forever._ She thought as the ship became a small dot below her. The firebenders below knew that she had nowhere to go with them surrounded by water, and had taken to ignoring her flights. Zuko would usually keep an eye on her, but since the events of the previous evening, she had not seen him. Which she was eternally grateful for. She didn't know how she should act around him let alone _talk_ to him. He had replied to her goodnight, and that had been a sign for her, but as soon as she had woken up, she was doubting it all again.

 _Stop it, Darya!_ She yelled at herself. _I'm done thinking about this. I need to escape and return to Aang, not worry over some boy._

Darya allowed the air currents to push her up and down as she followed the ship below her. She knew she had to escape soon, but to where? Aang could be anywhere, and after the run-in with Zhao, they had lost any leads they had before. But Darya knew something the others didn't: the destination was the North Pole. Even if she couldn't find Aang along the way, she could at least meet him there. He may be there already, but she highly doubted it. Even if she had been on the ship for over a week, she was sure Aang had gotten side tracked.

 _I'll make a run for it at the next port._ She decided. It didn't matter where they were, she just had to get away. Things were getting complicated with Zuko, and she needed to make things clear again. Darya felt determination rise within her. She was excited at the prospect of seeing Aang again, as well as getting her hands on her swords again. It had been too long and she was worried she would get rusty.

She laughed at herself as she began to float back to the ship. She had been asleep for a hundred years without getting rusty, and here she was worried that a week would impair her skills.

Darya noticed Iroh sitting at a table on the deck of the ship and dropped out of the sky to land lightly on the table. The tea tray on it shook slightly, but no tea was spilled. Iroh, however, was so startled he nearly fell out of his chair. Darya lurched forward and steadied him before jumping into the chair that was placed across from him. Her heart gave an unpleasant jump as she realized that she was getting to close to this man as well. He was like the father that had given her up so many years ago, and that thought scared her. _How can I face them in battle?_ Darya shook her head to clear her thoughts before she got a headache again.

"You look troubled." Iroh stated, tossing Darya back into her thoughts. She cursed under her breath about the horrible observation skills of the old man.

"Nothing that would concern you." She lied smoothly, or so she thought. However the slight twitch in the old general's eye told her he saw through her. Once more she cursed him. "I'd rather not think about it right now if that's alright."

"That is alright with me, but do not let your emotions become bottled up. I find that when something is bottled for too long, it will eventually explode. However, for the time, let up forget it and play a game of Pai Sho." With that, the two began to play a game of Pai Sho, and Darya attempted to forget her problems for the time being.

* * *

Darya was knocked off her feet as the ship rocked violently. She stumbled into the wall and put a hand out to stop herself from falling over. With a small burst of air she righted herself and ran for the nearest door to the deck.

What she saw made her mouth fall open. A monster crouched on all fours on the deck. It's black and tan fur bristled with ill intent and its shriveled nose twitched continually. The creature lashed out its tongue and struck a man in rags. He froze instantly and fell, only to be scooped up by another creature. This one was far more beautiful than the beast behind her. She had black hair partially pulled back in a bun and dark Earth Kingdom type clothes.

As Darya strode forward, the woman picked up the frozen man and placed him on the back of the creature.

"He's paralyzed." Zuko stated, clearly angry yet curious. The woman turned to him and Darya felt a pang of jealousy as she realized how beautiful this woman really was. As soon as she felt it she squashed it, burying it deep and trying to forget about everything that had happened between her and Zuko.

"Only temporarily." The woman purred, bringing Darya back to the present. "The toxins will wear off in about an hour. By then he'll be in jail and I'll have my money."

Darya was growing more curious now. She had never seen a creature like this, nor had she heard of one with the ability to stun its opponents. She watched the creature warily. It was clear to see that it was blind due to the lack of eyes, which meant it must "see" with its nose, which continued to twitch irritably.

"But how did you find him on my ship?" Zuko continued. He was still angry, but it seemed his curiosity was rising as well.

The woman swung herself back in the saddle before replying. "My shirshu can smell a rat a continent away." She patted the creature lovingly as it growled.

"Well, I'm impressed." Iroh added, making Darya roll her eyes at his tone of voice. Of course he had to try and hit on this woman.

The woman gave a bark of fierce laughter and cracked a long whip, making the shirshu bolt off the ship and down the dock. It was then that Darya noticed that they were near land. This was it, her time to flee had come.

 _I need to get my glider._ Her glider was the only thing she actually owned on the ship and she was not about to leave it behind. She had left it in "her" room and Darya was just thinking about how to get it when Zuko turned to her. It had been the first time that had seen each other that day, but Darya refused to feel uncomfortable. She had made her decision: return to Aang and forget about Zuko as anything more than an enemy. She could see his emotions clear on his face. First came a soft look, then uncertainty, then embarrassment, and finally confusion as Darya held his stare coolly. Within, Darya fought her own battle as she watched the final emotion of faint hurt pass his face before he too wore a mask of indifference. _The lines are drawn then_ , she thought with a hint of sorrow. Anger at the Fire Lord prickled the back of her head and she felt it crawl down to her heart. If it wasn't for him, she would have no problem with falling for Zuko, but because of the selfish actions of one man, she was forced to instead fight him. She just prayed that she would be able to end the war before Zuko turned into another Fire Lord.

"Lieutenant Jee!" Zuko barked, tearing his eyes from Darya. "Tie the airbender's hands and make sure she does not go near that glider."

Darya's eyes widened in shock and the anger that was bubbling under the surface broke through.

"What?! Don't you dare lay a hand on me!" she growled fiercely, making Jee, who had been coming up behind her, pause. Zuko only narrowed his eyes before letting off a volley of flame that Darya tried to dodge, only to find herself closer to Jee than before. With a look of regret, he grabbed her hands and forced a piece of thick rope around her wrists, tying them together.

"What is the meaning of this Zuko?" Darya snarled, fury burning bright in her eyes. _How could I have kissed him! He's a monster!_

"We are going ashore and I don't trust you to not run off. You," he called over a masked soldier. "Go get her glider. I want to keep both of them in my sight at all times."

The soldier dashed below deck to follow Zuko's orders. Darya glared at the prince with loathing, her sorrow from their loss replaced with fire and rage. The soldier returned quickly with her glider and Darya let loose and animalistic growl to see him hand it over to Zuko.

"Let's go." Zuko ordered menacingly. Iroh, Zuko, and Darya began to trek through the forest, following the massive pawprints of the shirshu.

Darya stomped along, not caring when Zuko shot a glare back to her or when Iroh gave her a sympathetic look. They were no longer companions, they were the enemy. What was worse was she was their prisoner. This was the first time Zuko had actually treated her like the prisoner she was and it made Darya's blood boil. While they walked she planned on several different ways to kill Zuko, each one more violent that the last.

They didn't have to wander far before the sound of yelling and something crashing reached their ears. Before long a rickety building came into view. It was three stories, squat, and looked to be patched together half-heartedly. Through the windows they could see men dancing, drinking, fighting, and arm wrestling. Amidst them they could see the woman at a table, her shirshu laying down near the door.

They forced their way through the crowd, Darya hoping to find a knife sticking out of someone's waistband or a way to slink into the crowd, but Zuko grabbed her arm before she could, forcing her to walk with him.

"Out of my way! Step aside filth!" Zuko ordered, making Darya roll her eyes. Yes, because that would help their situation. The men stepped aside to watch the arrogant prince drag her through them. Curious glances dashed to her tied hands, and she realized that Zuko had stupidly put them in danger of some greedy bounty hunters.

The walked up to the table that the woman was at. She was currently arm wrestling a man that had to weigh at least twice what she did.

"I need to talk to you." Zuko demanded, leaving no room to refuse.

"Well, if it isn't my new friends, Angry Boy and Uncle Lazy. Oh look, you found yourself an Angry Girl. Congrats." The woman purred. Iroh laughed heartily as the woman slammed the man's huge hand on the table, ending the fight abruptly. A pile of money spilled out from the cheering crowd and fell onto the table in front of the woman.

"Your beast trashed my ship. You have to pay me back." Zuko ground out, clearly loosing patience fast.

I'd love to help, but I'm a little short on money." The woman relied. Darya chuckled. She was starting to like this woman. "Drinks are on me!"

The crowd cheered loudly, drowning out Darya and Iroh's laughter. Zuko cracked a small, feral smile that stopped Darya's laughter in her throat. For a moment he looked just like Zhao had on Fire Temple Island. She shook her head to clear that image and Iroh looked at her curiously. Darya turned away, wanting to confide in him, but knowing that she could never do so again.

Zuko grabbed the woman's hand as she was about to take a drink from her cup. "Money isn't what I had in mind."

They all watched as the woman stared from his offending hand to his eyes. She smiled flirtatiously and nodded, standing up at the same time.

"Let's talk outside, my name is June by the way."

The trio followed the bounty hunter outside until they found themselves next to the shirshu.

"I need you to find someone." Zuko began, pulling out an object from inside his sleeve. Darya gasped and fresh hatred coursed through her. It was Katara's necklace. It meant the world to her, and here it was in the hands of the enemy. Then realization dawned on Darya. They were going to track her down, and she had to be with Aang. Zuko really was stupid to take her along. Aang was under her protection, assigned to her from Avatar Roku, nothing was going to stop her from getting to him.

"What happened? Your girlfriend run off on you?" June teased. Darya couldn't help it. The idea of Zuko and Katara was too much. She nearly collapsed in laughter, bringer her tied hands to as close to her stomach as possible.

"I like you, you're funny!" Darya added to the end of her laughter, wiping the tears from her eyes as best as she could. June grinned at her, and once again Darya found herself liking someone on the opposing side. _Maybe I'm just cursed_ , she muttered to herself.

"It's not the girl I'm after," Zuko ground out, his eyes firmly ignoring Darya, "it's the bald monk she's traveling with."

"Whatever you say." June said flippantly.

"If you find them, I'll consider the damage to my ship paid for."

"Forget it!"

June turned and began to climb up the saddle.

"Plus we'll pay your weight in gold." Iroh added to the annoyance of Zuko.

"Make it your weight and we got a deal." June smiled as she stepped down from the saddle.

"You got it!" Iroh laughed heartily.

June grabbed the necklace from Zuko and ordered them to get on. The beast was more than large enough to hold them all. Iroh waddled over quickly in order to be the first to sit behind June. Darya shook her head at his antics but proceeded to climb on. She did not want to have to sit behind Zuko and hold onto him. She may have sworn Iroh as an enemy again, but she would much rather grab onto him.

Zuko waited until the shirshu had caught the scent before he tied Darya's glider to his back and clambered on rather clumsily. Darya ignored the heat that comforted her from his body as he sat behind her, keeping a few inches of space between them.

"Nyla will be able to track your girlfriend down in no time. Hold on!" June ordered as the shirshu lifted its nose into the air before leaping after the scent it had caught. Darya shot out her arms instinctively and tried to grab onto Iroh but the rope prevented her from doing so. She felt herself tipping off the side of the beast before two iron bars held her upright. She sucked in a breath as Zuko held her tightly, the heat that radiated off him growing exponentially. Darya cursed the blush that bloomed on her cheeks and she refused to acknowledge him. However, he did not remove his arms and the awkwardness of the situation was too much for Darya.

"You can move your arms now, I'm not going anywhere." She hissed.

"Why should I trust you?" Zuko rumbled behind her. She could tell he meant it to be a rhetorical question, but he didn't act well. There was an actual question hiding under the surface and Darya remembered the hurt that had been in his eyes earlier. Had she hurt him that much? They were barely friends before he had kissed her, and now he was hunting her friends with the help of a bounty hunter and a monster. And _he_ was hurt by _her_? However, the softer side of Darya, the side that Zuko himself had already seen was battling with the anger within her. She knew the anger was not good, but she desperately wanted to hold onto it. It was much easier to hate him than it was to like him.

Darya turned her head slightly, her blush coming back as she noticed his face much closer than she had thought.

"It-" she was having trouble thinking of how to vocalize her thoughts. "Zuko, it will be easier this way. You have to know that too."

She needed him to understand that they couldn't repeat or continue what happened last night, despite how either of them may feel.

"Whatever." Zuko growled, but Darya could see that sorrow return. Only this time, it stayed and it broke her heart a little. The sorrow was beyond their situation, it was deeper and darker than just a lost romance. It was suffering that had happened for years.

"We can talk when the war is over." Darya added, despite the warning in her head telling her to leave it. Zuko met her eyes and she saw the sorrow only grow.

"We both know who will win this war." He said, his voice surprisingly quiet.

"Yeah, me." Darya smiled, attempting to lift his spirits a little. Zuko snorted and she was happy to see that a smile ghosted across his face before it returned to its original stone.

"Now turn around and stop talking before you fall off again." He ordered, although with less force that usual. Darya gave him one last smile and turned around, his arms not feeling as awkward as before.

* * *

They rode for another half an hour before stumbling upon a greenhouse. In front of it they found an old lady and a rather fluffy cat. After questioning the lady it was clear that she was a little lose in the head.

After following the trail for a while more, they found themselves in front of a shrine in a small village. Another older woman came out of the shrine as Zuko was complaining.

"Why are we stopping?" Zuko snarled, annoyance clear in his voice.

"Because the girl must of spent a lot of time here." June replied evenly.

Zuko growled and hopped down from Nyla. He grabbed the necklace from June in a huff and shoved it in front of the shirshu.

"We have no time for this!" he barked.

Apparently, the shirshu did not care for this because it lashed out it's poisonous tongue, just narrowly avoiding Zuko. Darya and Iroh laughed.

"Oh look, he likes you." June chuckled as well.

The older woman who had stepped out of the shrine interrupted the moment by smiling flirtatiously at Iroh, who smiled back.

"Care to hear your fortune, handsome?" she asked silkily.

"At my age there is really only one big surprise left, and I'd just as soon leave it a mystery." Iroh replied.

Darya smiled, but the smile soon fell when the woman turned to her sharply. Her mouth was open in a silent exclamation before she found her voice again.

"You! He spoke of you!" but before the woman could elaborate, Darya found herself whisked away on the shirshu. Her head was spinning a bit from the brief exchange. Aang had been to that village, so he must have mentioned her to the old woman. How the woman had recognized Darya was another mystery.

They ran more and Darya was worried the running would never end. How far had Aang travelled during the week of her absence? They ran into an abbey where the sisters were making sweet smelling perfume.

"Smells good." Darya muttered to herself. She had never been one for perfume, but this stuff smelled divine!

"We're getting close." June said as she cracked her whip again. The shirshu roared and leapt out of the gate and back into the wilds. Darya could feel the beast tremble under her in anticipation and she readied herself for a fight.

They burst from the trees and onto a wide trail, and to Darya's amazement, Sokka and Katara stood only a few feet from her. Nyla stopped and huffed, content at accomplishing its goal.

"Sokka! Katara!" Darya cried in joy. Both water tribe teens spun around when the monster entered the path, and their eyes opened wide in fear and amazement. Here was the girl who had gone missing in the storm astride a monster and with-

"Zuko!" Sokka cried in anger. He drew his club from where it rested on his side. June ignored him and hopped down from her perch.

"So this is your girlfriend." She said as she sashayed towards Katara. Zuko hopped down and stalked towards Katara. Darya bristled as he did so. "No wonder she left. She's way to pretty for you."

Zuko ignored her as he stood in Katara's face. "Where is he? Where's the Avatar?"

"We split up! He's long gone." Sokka thrust himself in between his sister and his enemy.

"How stupid do you think I am?" Zuko growled.

"Pretty stupid." Sokka snarled back. He turned quickly and grabbed Katara by the arm. "Run!"

"No!" Darya yelled, but it was too late. The shirshu had lashed out as its prey tried to flee. The two teens fell heavily in the dirt. "Don't you touch them!"

Darya yelled as Zuko and June walked up to the paralyzed water tribe members. They both bent down and turned them over onto their backs. Darya could see that even though they were paralyzed, their eyes held hatred as they glared at Zuko.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Zuko growled.

"It's seeking a different scent – perhaps something that the Avatar held." June pointed out as the shirshu began to sniff a roll of parchment that had fallen out of Sokka's pack. The shirshu looked up suddenly and let out a faint roar. Zuko and June grabbed Sokka and Katara and threw them onto the overloaded shirshu before getting on themselves.

Several minutes of running later and Darya found herself surrounded by the sweet perfume from earlier. She kept glancing back to check on Sokka and Katara, but could only see their legs dangling from behind Zuko. She shot a glare at him for capturing her friends, but otherwise she left him alone. They had already said what had need to be said.

"What's it doing? It's just going around in a circle!" Zuko huffed, his hot breath washing over Darya's neck. She shivered slightly, but found her attention shifting as the shirshu leapt in the air. She caught sight of a flash of red and gold as she was thrown from the monster.

"Aang!" she yelled with Katara, who was apparently getting some feeling back. Darya scrambled to get up from where she lay only to find Aang cornered by the now righted shirshu. She growled and tried to bend the beast away, but her hands were still bound. She turned and saw a broken pot laying on the ground and ran over to it, tripping slightly in her haste.

She began to saw at her bindings as Appa crashed into the scene and began defending Aang. Darya's relief at seeing him was short-lived as Aang began to fight Zuko. She sawed at the ropes faster as Aang and Zuko exchanged a fierce volley of attacks which lead to them being blasted onto opposing roofs. Her ropes finally cut as Zuko ran to attack the still unconscious Aang.

"Zuko!" she roared, catching his attention. He looked at her in surprise as a blast of hot air slammed him off the roof and onto the ground. He grunted and staggered to get up. Out of the corner of her eye, Darya saw June and Nyla begin to fight Aang. She knew he could handle them, so she turned to concentrate on Zuko. She sent several blasts of air at him which hissed with steam. She poured her anger into each blast and found herself annoyed that none of them hit. He danced past each one nimbly and began to fire back.

Darya and Zuko entered a fierce dance of wind and fire, their attacks swirling together instead of hitting their target. Deep down, Darya knew she wasn't trying her hardest to beat him. She wanted to want to hurt him, to damage him, to add another scar. But she couldn't; not even a little bit. She had seen past the Fire Prince mask he wore and knew that he was pulling his punches as well. She had seen him spar with Jee, and he wasn't even fighting _that_ hard. Between them was a cloud of steam which hissed and snarled in anger. Darya thought she saw a figure dancing in the steam, but it disappeared when Aang let loose a tornado of air which knocked Zuko into a wall.

"Darya, are you alright?" Aang asked before Zuko could get back up. She looked at him in relief to see that he was unharmed from his fight with June. She nodded quickly and smiled before turning back to the advancing Zuko. Katara's necklace still dangled from his wrist and it was clear that Aang had seen it. His eyes hardened to steel.

"You have something I want!" Aang roared with more fire than Darya thought possible. Aang sent a volley of air at Zuko as Zuko returned with several punches of fire. Darya swerved to avoid the two attacks and leapt onto one of the roofs to survey the scene. She could tell that Aang needed to fight this battle himself, considering Katara's necklace was on the line. Darya could see the way that Aang was desperate to impress the waterbender, so Darya decided it was best to watch and interfere only when necessary.

She could see Sokka and Katara run over to the large pots of perfume that surrounded the center of the abbey while Aang and Zuko danced around an old well. As Darya was about to launch after Aang and Zuko in order to make sure Aang didn't fall into the well, the sound of pottery shattering filled the courtyard and Darya spun around to watch the perfume drench the shirshu. It began to cry and lash it's tongue out wildly. Fortunately, it missed Aang as the Avatar dodged Zuko's attacks. However, the prince did not fare as well. He fell to the ground with a hard "thwump" as the poison paralyzed him. Darya saw her chance and she took it.

She swung down from the roof and bolted towards Zuko. She had to dodge the still rampaging shirshu, but she still managed to make it over to his side. With quick movements, she untied her glider which was still slung across Zuko's back. Zuko snarled at her as she pulled off her dragon glider.

"You know as well as I do that this," Darya gestured to the surrounding chaos, "could have been avoided. Use your brain, prince, I believe I told you that last night."

With that Darya, Aang, Sokka, and Katara disappeared into the sky on Appa, leaving an incredibly confused and embarrassed Zuko behind.

* * *

The gang was back together, and Darya was more than happy. The four teenagers relaxed on Appa's saddle as the sun set in a glorious explosion of red, pink, and gold. Darya had finished relaying her adventures on board the Fire Nation ship and the other three had quickly filled Darya in on all the events she had missed. When Aang came to the tale of the blue spirit, he gave Darya a long look which made her feel incredibly uncomfortable. Aang had never looked at her like that before, as if she was hiding something. She hated more that she was indeed hiding part of her adventure from her friends. She would keep the details of her time with Zuko to a bare minimum. She feared their reactions if she were to reveal that not only had he kissed her, but she had actually enjoyed it.

"So where do we go?" Aang asked, clearly apprehensive. Darya had learned all about the incident with the messenger and had heard the regret in Aang's voice.

"We're getting you to the North Pole." Katara replied.

"Yeah," Sokka spoke up, "we've lost too much time as it is."

"Don't you want to see your father?" Aang quickly asked. Darya felt a pang in her heart to see Aang acting so selflessly. Granted, he was trying to make up for being incredibly selfish, but this was good to see in the young Avatar.

"Of course we do, Aang. But, you're our family too, and right now you need us more." Sokka scoffed.

"And we need you." Katara added with a light blush. Darya kept her eyebrows down, although it was a struggle. _Apparently Aang's affections are not one sided._

"I wish I could give you a little piece of home, Katara. Something to remind you-" Aang began to say after a few moments, his hands behind his back.

"I'll be ok-" Katara began to say sadly.

"Still, just a little trinket. Maybe something like . . . this!" Aang jumped up and proudly showed Katara her missing necklace. Darya laughed at the shock on Katara's face and felt proud of Aang. She had been distracted by the crashing perfume pots and had not seen him successfully recover the necklace.

Katara jumped up with a cry of delight. "Aang, how did you get that?" she exclaimed.

"Zuko asked to be sure I got it to you." Aang said, smiling as Katara put on her necklace. Darya laughed at his joke, imagining how angry Zuko probably was at losing his one lead on Aang.

"Oh that's so sweet of Zuko! Would you give him a kiss for me when you see him?" Katara continued to joke.

"Sure!" Aang laughed. However, he quickly fell silent as Katara gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek.

Darya would have laughed at his reaction, but she was miles away. Katara's words had her travelling back in time to the kiss that she had shared with Zuko 24 hours earlier. Darya needed space, so she quickly mumbled an excuse about stretching her legs and leapt into the air with her glider.

She soared next to Appa for countless minutes, her mind and heart at war. In the end, the only thing Darya could definitively say was that she was missing the scarred prince.

* * *

Many miles away, on a steel ship that belched smoke, the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation lay in his bed. He was staring at the dull grey ceiling, desperately trying to get the face of a particularly perplexing airbender girl out of his mind. He continued to fail miserably as he recalled the last 24 hours he spent with her. He had been yelled at her, kissed her (a momentary weakness he was quite surprised with), ignored her, fought her, been yelled at again, and then abandoned.

 _No, not abandoned._ He chastised. She was a prisoner and she had successfully escaped. She was a prisoner and nothing more became his mantra, however hollow it felt. Zuko was confused and the smell of the wind and something slightly minty which clung to his blankets did not help him in anyway. He had often caught the same smell as he sat near Darya in the dining hall or while they talked congenially on the deck.

 _And when I kissed her._ Zuko groaned and rolled over, burying his head in the pillow, which only exacerbated the scent that clung to it. _I will have the sheets washed in the morning._ He was still feeling the sting of her cold look that she had held when she had appeared on the deck that very afternoon. He was not sure what to expect, but the ice that was in her eyes felt like a punch to his stomach. He had opened up to her, albeit unconsciously and very minimally, but that was a lot for him! And anger had taken over him. But then she had smiled while they rode the shirshu. But it was her words of hope that had made him smile back, even faintly. He hoped and prayed that she was right. He wanted the Avatar to win, but that would mean he had lost his throne, probably his whole nation, and probably the death of his father. Zuko's thoughts turned tumultuous again.

Zuko sighed and decided that for one night only, he would stop thinking. His thoughts were only becoming more jumbled and he felt a headache growing. So, once his decision was made, he fell asleep with only one solid thought in his mind. He missed her.


	11. The Deserter

**A/N: Hello everyone! I've been getting a lot of really amazing reviews from readers, so thank you so so much! I love to hear from people and see how they like the story. Here is a new chapter, and it is much longer than the others. It got away from me a little bit. Anyway, I will be updating my old chapters to fix some spelling and grammar errors that I have seen. I know there aren't much but they're annoying to read around, and I don't want anyone to be annoyed! Without further ado, here's chapter 9!**

 **Chapter 9 – The Deserter**

"Sokka, stop eating all of our food!" Darya yelled, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

"I'm hungry! And as a warrior, I shouldn't lose any more muscle mass if I'm going to protect you guys." Sokka retorted, emptying their food bag into his mouth. Darya scowled at him and he swallowed quickly.

"What muscle mass?" Darya sneered.

"What do you mean 'what muscle mass'!?"

"You're so thin I can see through you!"

"Hey-"

"Will you two cut it out!" Katara yelled back at the two older teens. Darya and Sokka had their foreheads smashed together in their bickering. They jumped apart and huffed. Darya stalked forward in order to look at a notice board that had appeared in their path.

"This should give us a good idea of what's around here." Katara said from beside the older airbender.

"See if you can find a menu, I'm starving." Sokka said, standing on the other side of Katara. Darya shot him a dark glance and he moved around to the other side.

Aang rushed over to stand between the two girls and looked at the notice board himself. Darya smiled down at him motherly and thought for the hundredth time since her escape that she was glad she was back with friends. While she begrudgingly missed Iroh and refused to admit what she felt about Zuko, she was happiest next to Aang.

"I bet we'll find something to eat here!" Aang said, pointing at a flyer for a Fire Nation Festival. "The Fire Days Festival. Fire Nation cultural exhibits . . . jugglers, benders, magicians. This'd be a great place for me to study some real firebenders!"

Darya was about to say that perhaps that was not the wisest idea, when Sokka beat her to it.

"You might want to rethink that. Look at this." He said from the other side of the board.

Darya, Katara, and Aang moved to stand by Sokka and looked at the other side of the notice board. Darya gasped as she looked at the posters. There were four wanted posters adorning the plain wood. The top had an older man with white hair and several scars over his right eye. The bottom two contained a plain man with brown hair and someone in a blue mask. But it was the center poster that drew their attention.

"Hey, a poster of me!" Aang exclaimed. Darya shook her head, it seemed they would need to keep moving. Her stomach growled lightly and she glared at Sokka again. He put his hands up in surrender and moved closer to Aang.

"A wanted poster. This is bad." He said, trying to ignore the glare from Darya. Aang ripped the poster off of the board with a sour look on his face.

"I think we had better keep moving." Katara said, already beginning to walk away.

"I have to learn firebending at some point, and this could be my only chance to watch a master up close." Aang said, surprising them all, even Darya. However, when she turned to look at Aang, she knew that there would be no persuading him otherwise.

Katara seemed to sense the same thing because all she did was look at the ground and say: "I guess we could check it out . . ."

"What!? You want to walk into a Fire Nation town where they're all fired up with all their, you know, fire?" He finished stupidly. Darya rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't help but agree. They may not be in the Fire Nation itself, but even a colony could be dangerous.

"We'll wear disguises and if it looks like trouble, we'll leave." Katara said.

"Yeah, because we always leave before we get into trouble." Sokka grumbled. They all walked over to Appa and began to walk beside him along the path.

"Hey, Darya!" Sokka yelled, running to catch up to them. Darya turned around at the sound of her name and raised an eyebrow at Sokka.

"What can we expect from this festival? If we're going to spy on the enemy, we need to have any facts that will help us." Sokka asked, walking next to Darya.

"How should I know?" Darya asked, confused.

"Well, you're Fire Nation, so I figured you've been to this festival before." Sokka added.

"I left when I was five and I can barely remember what my father looked like, let alone the details of an intricate cultural festival." Darya snapped. She immediately regretted it and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Sokka. You had a good idea, I'm just hungry," She shot a playful glare at him, "and I'm getting reused to all this walking."

Sokka gave Darya a comforting smile and put an arm around her shoulders. The two eldest of the group had formed a bond over their desire to protect their younger group members and a little irritation on either side could not break it.

"I'm sorry we couldn't rescue you sooner." Sokka said quietly in order to keep the other two from overhearing. They both did their best not to worry Katara or Aang needlessly.

"I understand, and it wasn't as bad as you would think." Darya said, looking up at Sokka. He frowned a little and held her tighter.

"You know we had to hold Aang back from going after you when he learned that you had chased him into the storm. I've never seen him like that." Sokka shivered slightly. "We stayed in that town for a couple of days before Zhao showed up and we decided to leave. After a week, we were afraid you might have… well, we were afraid something really bad had happened to you and we wouldn't see you again."

Sokka was squeezing Darya very tightly now, his arm forming a protective barrier that brought Darya warmth and comfort. She really liked Sokka, even when he was annoying, but particularly when he was acting mature. Not for the first time she wished she had feelings for him. Thankfully, she knew he was still thinking about Suki, the warrior from Kyoshi Island, otherwise she would feel like he was flirting with her.

"I'm sorry you guys worried so much about me." Darya began, "But just know that I was treated surprisingly well. And to be honest with you Sokka, I kind of miss Iroh."

Sokka made a choking noise and looked at Darya like she had grown another head.

"Before you start, he treated me well, yelled at Zuko when he yelled at me, and even taught me Pai Sho! I also think he had something to do with Zuko letting me airbend." Darya said quickly, holding her hands up. Sokka looked at her skeptically, but nodded and kept walking forward, his arm still around Darya.

"When that monster leapt onto the path in front of us and I saw you on the back of it I nearly cried with joy, but then I saw that _other_ monster with his arms around you and I felt sick. You're sure he treated you well?" Sokka asked, looking back at Darya.

"Yes, he was a gentleman I suppose." Darya said before falling silent, fighting the blush that was adorning her cheeks. Sokka fell quiet as well, clearly not fully satisfied with her response but knowing enough not to ask further.

The group walked in silence for half an hour before they exited the trees and stood looking at a town in the valley below them. There were lights decorating it and a large wooden tower with the Fire Nation symbol on top. They could see hundreds of people dancing and laughing below, along with flashes of fire.

"Alright, you guys stay out of sight here while we go to the festival." Aang said, addressing Appa and Momo. Momo leapt behind a large bush and disappeared. Appa followed and settled down with a large _whump._ Darya laughed as the bison tried to hide behind a foot-tall bush.

"Ready disguises!" Aang ordered. Katara, Sokka, and Darya all pulled on the hooded cloaks they had in their packs. Darya looked out past her hood to see that Aang had pulled his shirt up over his head. She burst out laughing while Katara giggled girlishly. Sokka just rolled his eyes.

"It's like you're a whole different person." He said sarcastically. Aang laughed and motioned for them to follow him down the hill to the town.

"Let's go!" He said happily.

They walked down the hill quickly, admiring the fireworks that were dancing in the sky. Darya felt something in her heart squeeze tightly as she thought of half her heritage. She was honest when she told Sokka she couldn't remember much about the Fire Nation. Other than some brief memories of her father, spice cakes being eaten daily, the busy marketplace, and the room with the golden dragon, there was just a haze. She decided that at some point she would need to catalogue these memories before she forget them completely. Despite the horrors that the Fire Nation had committed, she still felt connected to her heritage and losing it would feel like she was incomplete, like when she couldn't airbend on Zuko's ship. In all honesty, Darya was incredibly excited that they were going to this festival. Even though she knew it would probably end in them running from a bunch of firebenders, she was interested in learning more about half of herself.

As they entered the town, it became apparent that they would need different disguises. Everyone was running, dancing, laughing, eating, and most importantly, covering their faces in intricate masks. Several people in a dragon costume glided by and Darya felt her heart tug again. She had always loved dragons, which was apparent after anyone saw her glider and swords. Said swords lay gently tied on either hip, the twin dragons snarling in the light. She had left her glider on Appa's saddle in case anyone would recognize what it was.

"I think we need some new disguises." Katara said, looking around.

"Where are we gonna get masks like that?" Sokka said in frustration.

"Get your genuine Fire Festival masks here!" A merchant cried from his stall behind the four teenagers. Darya laughed and walked over to the stall, patting Sokka on the shoulder.

"That was surprisingly easy." Sokka said, following her. Darya shook her head at him and then stared up at the masks. Sokka, Katara, and Aang grabbed the first ones they saw, but Darya felt like she should really think about what one she would get. This was her first Fire Nation festival, at least the first she could remember, and she wanted to commemorate it.

One that she had her eye on was a large yellow face with a wide grin. It had red trim and was simple in its design compared to the others. It drew her in with its simplicity and the fact it looked similar to the one Aang had on, and she was about to choose it when another one grabbed her attention. A gold dragon snarled at her with a savage ferocity. Its black eye sockets seemed to hold a dark light within them, and the ivory teeth gleamed with deadly intent. _It's the dragon from the palace!_ Darya thought with excitement. She had seen this dragon before. It was her favorite in the red room of the palace, and she knew that she had to have it. She quickly grabbed it and made to walk away and join the others, when the merchant interrupted her.

"You have a good eye! That's a very special mask." The old merchant winked, his eyes held deep knowledge that Darya was fascinated with.

"Why is that?" She asked. It was special to her, but she had assumed it was just an ordinary mask to anyone else.

"That is the mask of the first dragon, Saizo, to teach humans firebending. He is an ancient and powerful symbol for our great nation. He represents power, leadership, and wisdom. Where that mask with pride." The merchant finished sagely, and Darya felt like he knew more than he was letting on, but she decided that she needed to return to her friends.

"Thank you." She bowed and put on the mask, lowering her hood. Her long, blonde hair flowed around the edge of the mask, creating a golden mane. She ran up to the three teenagers as Sokka was dancing around yelling: "hot! hot!"

"What's up with him?" She asked as she stood behind Aang and Katara.

"He ate some 'flaming fire flakes'." Aang said, turning around. When he saw Darya's mask his mouth dropped open. "Whoa that is a seriously cool mask!"

"Yeah, you look so fierce!" Katara added.

"You look stupid." Sokka contributed, his mouth still steaming. Darya laughed at him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not the one standing here with his tongue lolling out like a dog." She said, laughing again.

"Hey!" Sokka exclaimed.

"Hey, look at this." Aang interrupted, drawing Darya and Sokka out of the start of a fight. He led them over to a puppet show that had children crowding around it. A puppet of the Fire Lord appeared, causing a shiver to run down Darya's spine. She could tell that Aang was affected by the odd sight as well by the stiffening of his spine. The children cheered for the puppet as it began to speak.

"Don't worry loyal citizens! No one can surprise the Fire Lord!" The puppet squawked. Behind the puppet, an earthbender puppet appeared hold a rock. It moved to strike the Fire Lord, but instead the Fire Lord puppet turned its head and a blaze of fire scorched the earthbending puppet. The children all cheered, while the four turned away and began to make their way towards another stage.

A single performer stood on the stage dressed in elaborate red robes. A large crowd was packed around the stage, waiting for the performance to start. Aang began to push his way into the crowd.

"Aang, hold on!" Katara cried before Aang could disappear. "Where are we going?"

"I don't know, but there's a big crowd so it must be good." Aang replied as if it was simple.

"Knowing the Fire Nation, it's probably an execution." Sokka said sarcastically, making Darya chuckle.

"Or maybe just another puppet show." She said to him, pointing back at the Fire Lord puppet who was now roasting a waterbender puppet while the children squealed with glee.

As they neared the stage, it became apparent that it was what they had come into town looking for. The man on the stage was performing several ornate tricks with several pools of fire, which were laid out on the stage. As the performer extinguished his fire, a flock of white birds soared into the sky. Darya had to admit that it was quite impressive, and the firebending had been beautiful. For the first time in her life, Darya felt a pang knowing that she couldn't create such beauty.

"I gotta learn that trick!" Aang said, his voice full of excitement. Darya couldn't blame him. All they had known of firebenders were that they destroyed. Seeing fire that could be beautiful and harmless was something they admired greatly.

"Thank you!" The performer said, addressing the crowd. "For my next trick, I need a volunteer from the audience!"

"Oh!" Aang yelled, raising his hand high and waving it around. "Oh! Me! Me!"

"What are you doing?" Darya and Sokka hissed at the same time. Darya could understand going into the village to see some firebending, she could understand watching this performance, but drawing direct attention to themselves was too far.

"I want a closer look." Aang pouted, but Darya only glared at him, keeping him quiet.

"It's better that we don't attract any attention to ourselves." Katara said, placing a comforting hand on Aang's shoulder.

"How about you, little lady?" The performer shouted, pointing at Katara.

"Uh…" Katara stared at the performer from under her mask.

"Awww, she's shy. Let's give her some encouragement, folks!" The performer shouted, causing the audience to push Katara to the stage where the performer grabbed her and pulled her up. Darya shook her head and sighed. _Time to get ready to run,_ she thought, resting her hands on the hilts of her swords. She wanted to avoid airbending, even if Aang used it here. She wanted to stay as far off Zhao's radar as possible.

Back on the stage, Katara was being ushered into a chair in the center of the stage. The performer placed her in the chair and tied her up.

"This next trick," the performer spoke as he continued to tie Katara to the chair. "is called "Taming the Dragon'. You will be my captured princess."

The performer moved from behind Katara and began to firebend a huge comet of fire that had the vague form of a dragon. He looped it around Katara and the crowd several times, exclaiming that he would save her and not to worry.

"It's too strong!" The performer began to cry out. "I can't hold it!"

Darya sighed at the performance. The firebending wasn't bad, but the acting certainly needed improvement.

"We gotta help her!" Aang shouted, moving towards the stage. Darya looked over at him and made to stop him from getting on the stage. _He's so blinded by his feelings for her that he can't see it's an act,_ she thought with exasperation.

"No, we don't want to make a scene!" Sokka said, holding Aang back.

"The rope, it's breaking!" The performer yelled, and the fire dragon turned and charged at Katara. On the stage, Katara cried out in fear and Aang airbended himself out of Sokka's grasp and onto the stage. Darya yelled in annoyance and gripped the hilts of her swords tighter. There was still a chance that the crowd would think it was all part of the performance and they could get away without a fight.

"Hey, that kid's the Avatar!" an audience member shouted.

"Damn it." Darya growled. She pulled out her swords and leapt onto the stage. She watched as Aang froze and three Fire Nation guards turned and began to make their way through the crowd. Sokka, Katara, and Aang had all removed their masks by this point, but Darya found comfort in her anonymity and didn't want any report of her face getting to Zhao. She twirled her swords in order to intimidate the guards, and it seemed to do the trick, because they paused just long enough for Sokka to pull her off the stage and towards a man in a shabby mask. She didn't trust him, but trusted Sokka enough not to lead her astray.

They all leapt through a broken wall and followed the masked man down the winding alleys of the town. Fireworks still soared and burst above them, making the chase seem surreal.

"There they are!" A guard shouted, just as the masked man threw a smoke bomb to obscure their retreat.

"I'm calling Appa!" Aang announced, pulling out the bison whistle.

"I hope he can really hear that bison whistle!" Sokka yelled at him over the noise of the guards chasing them. They turned into an alleyway only to find it ended in a high wall.

"Okay, not this way!" The masked man yelled, turning down another street. They followed him, only to see the exit blocked by guards. The masked man threw another smoke bomb at them and they dashed past the distracted guards.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Darya roared as they found another dead end. She officially didn't like the oaf they were following. She was about to attack the advancing guards when Appa soared above them.

"Appa, down here!" Aang yelled to the bison. Appa roared and landed between the guards and their group. He used his tail to create a huge gust of wind that blew the guards down and out of the way.

"Quick, get on him!" Darya shouted, pushing Aang towards Appa. They all clambered on with Darya being the last. They took to the sky as the guards returned to the alley. The masked man threw one last smoke bomb into a crate of fireworks. The fireworks exploded into a dazzling array of gold, red, blue, green, and every color in between. Appa flew quickly into the night air, the town swiftly fading away.

The masked man sat back on Appa and removed his hood, revealing a disheveled face beneath. Darya narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion as the others gathered around the stranger. She didn't like him. Not because he was a "bad guy", although they didn't know if he was a "good guy" either, but because of his seemingly vast stupidity. He had endangered their lives, and they almost got captured because he didn't know his way around the town.

"Nice touch setting off the fireworks." Aang said.

"You seem to really know your explosives." Sokka added in suspicion.

"I'm familiar." The stranger said, trying to appear aloof, but only looking silly. Darya rolled her eyes.

"You're a Fire Nation soldier!" Sokka exclaimed, surprised.

"Was." The man said, looking nervous as Darya held onto one of her swords. "The name's Chey."

"I think we need to have a talk, Chey." Darya snarled, tired of not knowing who this man was or who he worked for. "Appa, find a place to land."

The sky bison roared back an affirmative and began to descend.

"You can control the beast with just your voice?" Chey exclaimed in admiration. Darya would have felt flattered if not for the mans' idiocy from earlier.

"Darya's always been good with sky bison. She flew in the adult sky bison polo championship when she was only 14!" Aang provided, ignoring Darya's glare.

"It was 15, Aang. I only flew with them for a year before the _Fire Nation_ ruined everything." Darya hissed. Chey had the courtesy to look down in shame and fell silent. Darya continued to glare at him, feeling the familiar anger bubbling up towards the surface.

They were all silent, glancing between Chey and Darya, until Appa landed gently in a clearing. They all climbed off the sky bison and set up a fire to hear Chey's story.

"Let me explain myself." Chey began, glancing at Darya but looking down when he met her fierce glare. "I serve a man. More than a man really, he's a myth, but he's real, a living legend, Jeong Jeong the Deserter. He was a Fire Nation general, or wait, was he an admiral?"

"He was very highly ranked, we get it." Sokka said, clearly annoyed to hear there was another Fire Nation soldier involved.

"Yeah! Way up there! But he couldn't take the madness anymore. He's the first person ever to leave the army and live. I'm the second, but you don't get to be a legend for that. That's okay though." He looked around at the four surrounding him. "Jeong Jeong's a firebending genius. Some say he's mad, but he's not! He's enlightened."

"You mean there's a firebender out here who's not with the Fire Lord?" Aang asked, standing up in excitement. "We've got to go see him, he can train me!"

"We're not going to find some crazy firebender." Sokka said dismissively. Darya wanted to agree, but she felt something nagging at her in the back of her mind, telling her that Aang must see Jeong Jeong.

Chey stood up quickly, "He's not crazy! He's a genius! And he's the perfect person to train the Avatar. That's why I followed you into the festival."

"Look, thanks for the help, but we're leaving for the north pole in the morning." Sokka said, standing up as well.

"Sokka," Aang said, looking disappointed in Sokka, "this could be my only chance to meet a firebending master who would actually be willing to teach me."

"It can't hurt just to talk to him." Katara added, standing up.

"That's what you said about going to the festival! Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me?" Sokka yelled.

Darya stayed quiet through the argument, instead focusing on a flash of something reflective she had seen in the tree opposite of her. As she watched, someone dressed in dark green and wielding a spear leapt down from the forest and pointed the spear at Aang. She was up in a flash and blocked the attack with one of her swords. The spear glanced to the left and the wielder took a step back, clearly shocked. However, Darya realized there was little use fighting, since they were now surrounded by men with spears.

"Don't move." One of them ordered, and they all froze. The one who spoke whispered something to another man and that one in turn told the rest.

"Follow me, keep your weapons and bending to yourself." The lead man ordered, and they were all shoved into line and began to walk out of the forest.

"Jeong Jeong told you not to look for the Avatar." The lead man growled at Chey. Chey shrunk back a little while Sokka rounded on him as well.

"Hold on, you know these guys!?" Sokka exclaimed.

"Oh yeah, Lin Yi's an old buddy. Right Lin Yi?" Chey said, putting his hands up in surrender. He looked towards the lead man for help.

"Shut up!" Lin Yi ordered, lowering a spear at Chey. "Keep moving."

Darya snorted, earning an eye roll from Katara.

"You seem to be in a better mood." Katara whispered to Darya.

"It seems that when I am in dangerous situations with no ability to defend myself, I tend to become quite an optimist." Darya grinned impishly at Katara, who in turn smiled back. "But in all seriousness, there is something telling me that we should speak with Jeong Jeong and that he must teach Aang…something. It's firebending, but not firebending. I don't know what it is, but it _is_ something important."

Katara looked at Darya with wide eyes. Darya looked back and rolled her eyes at Katara's reaction.

"I'm not psychic or anything. When it comes to Aang, my intuition seems to be stronger, that's all." Darya said to erase the look off of Katara's face. _Or it could be Avatar Roku._ Darya thought, but she decided to keep that to herself.

* * *

A while later, the group appeared at the top of a hill which overlooked a small shack on the bank of a river. If they had not been tied up and facing an uncertain destination, Darya would have called the scene serene. They stopped at the hill and Lin Yi pushed Chey forward.

"Go on. He sees you only." Lin Yi ordered.

"Oh, that's okay, we can chat later." Chey whimpered. Darya added _coward_ to the list of reasons she didn't like Chey.

"Is that where Jeong Jeong is? I need to talk to him right away." Aang said, pushing forward until he was in the front. A spear from Lin Yi stopped him from progressing further.

"No, you wait here." Lin Yi ordered, pushing Chey forward. "Go now!"

Chey stumbled down the hill a few steps before righting himself and looking back at Aang.

"Don't worry, everything'll be fine. He's a great man, great man!" Chey stuttered and walked towards the small shack.

"Follow me." Lin Yi ordered. They shuffled after him for only a few feet until they were under a large tree. They sat under it silently and contemplated their situation. Clearly, they were not being held as prisoners, but they were also not being treated as friends. Darya watched the men with the spears disperse until they were left alone.

They stayed in that spot for a long while, Aang, Katara, and Sokka falling asleep while Darya kept watch. Darya was disrupted from her quiet meditation by Chey exiting Jeong Jeong's hut. Aang must have heard it in his sleep because he quickly sprang into the air.

"What happened? Can I see Jeong Jeong now?" Aang asked the approaching Chey, who looked very glum.

"He won't see you." Chey began, sounded disheartened. "He's very angry that I brought you here. He wants you to leave immediately."

"Finally!" Said Sokka, who woke up a blinking Katara. "Let's hit the road."

"Why won't he see me?" Aang asked Chey, ignoring Sokka.

"He says you're not ready. Says you haven't mastered waterbending and earthbending yet." Chey said. Darya and Aang looked more attentive at this while Sokka and Katara seemed to fall back to sleep.

"How could he know that?" Darya asked, genuinely curious.

"He saw the way you all walked into camp. He can tell." Chey replied, watching Darya carefully.

"I'm going anyway!" Aang declared.

"Aang!" Darya cried after him, but he had run off to the hut and had entered it. Darya watched the curtain fall shut and a sense of calmness fell upon her, as if this was _meant_ to happen.

"Boy, Jeong Jeong is going to make him regret that." Chey said quietly. Darya let out a growl of frustration that sent him scurrying into the trees.

She glared after him and then returned her gaze to the curtain of the hut. A flash of firelight burst out of it for a second before it disappeared. Darya felt uneasy with Aang being in there alone, but she made herself look away and up at the night sky. There were no lights other than the soft flicker of a fire in a hut, and Darya could see all of the stars burning brightly. She felt like they were staring at her, and she couldn't decide if it was in a nice way or not.

Before she could think about it much further, Aang appeared from Jeong Jeong's hut. The glow from the fire inside showed a large smile on his face as he used airbending to climb the hill quickly. He sat down next to Darya with the grin still plastered on his face.

"Jeong Jeong is going to teach me firebending!" Aang exclaimed quietly so as not to wake Katara and Sokka, who were asleep near them.

"That's great Aang, how did you convince him?" Darya asked.

"I just kept asking and then he sort of said yes." Aang replied. Darya looked at him in confusion but decided to drop it. Jeong Jeong had agreed and that was what mattered.

"Well, go to sleep then. You have a long day tomorrow." Darya said motherly. She watched as Aang curled up into a ball under the trees and the stars, and she felt a pang of loneliness hit her. _Why would I be lonely with all of my friends here?_ She shook her head to get rid of the feeling. _Because not all of your friends are here . . ._ a voice whispered. She looked around but the owner of the voice was nowhere to be seen. Darya narrowed her eyes and glared into the darkness. With a _humph_ , she lay down next to Aang and closed her eyes. _I won't think about him, I won't think about him, I won't think about him,_ Darya thought as she fell asleep.

* * *

The morning arrived bright, beautiful, and refreshing. Darya was practicing her airbending by the river next to Katara, who was also practicing her bending. Sokka sat on a rock several feet away, fishing unsuccessfully. Darya was just beginning to create a small tornado, which she was quite proud of seeing as it was difficult to control such violent air in such a small form, when she was interrupted by Jeong Jeong scolding Aang.

She looked up as Jeong Jeong called Sokka an oaf and she laughed with Katara and Sokka at Aang's lack of concentration. She looked past Aang and at Jeong Jeong. They met eye contact briefly before the firebender looked away. Darya had liked the old man as soon as she had laid eyes on him. He disliked the Fire Nation as much as she did and his respect for the other elements was refreshing. More than that though, she felt like there was something deeper to him, something she couldn't explain. Either way, she decided to trust him with Aang's training.

She returned to her work with controlling the powerful winds required to form a tornado, and was pleased with her continued success. After a while, she noticed Katara and Sokka had disappeared, along with Aang and Jeong Jeong. She looked around and saw that the sun was much further in its progression than usual.

"Boy, I need to pay more attention when I'm practicing." She chastised herself.

"You were deep in concentration." A voice startled Darya from the entrance of Jeong Jeong's hut. When Darya looked over, she saw that the voice belonged to none other than Jeong Jeong himself.

"Where's Aang?" Darya asked, slightly worried.

"He is practicing breathing at the top of the mountain." Jeong Jeong pointed to the small mountain a short distance away. She could see the small silhouette of Aang in contrast to the sky. She looked back to Jeong Jeong.

"Breathing?" Darya asked, genuinely curious.

"It is where a firebender gets his power." Jeong Jeong informed her. Darya nodded her head and looked back towards Aang.

"He just wants to be a good Avatar." Darya said, meeting Jeong Jeong's eyes. "I know he is impatient and can be very rash, but he has a good heart and he has too many burdens on his shoulders."

Jeong Jeong just nodded and motioned Darya to follow him into his hut. She took one last glance at Aang before following the old man in. The hut was small and plain, with only a dirt floor, some candles, and a mat for sleeping.

Jeong Jeong sat in a half ring of candles, motioning for Darya to sit across from him.

"I had a vision of Avatar Roku when Aang asked me to be his teacher." Jeong Jeong announced. Darya looked shocked.

"Avatar Roku?" She asked, unclear of what Jeong Jeong was telling her.

"Yes, he told me to teach Aang firebending, and while I do not believe he is ready, it is clear that Avatar Roku believes otherwise. He also told me about you. The girl who is both an Air Nomad and of the Fire Nation." Jeong Jeong stated, watching Darya with an analyzing look. Darya sat froze as he spoke. She _knew_ there was more to this man than being able to firebend well.

"I- well, I don't really know what to say to that." Darya said, feeling foolish. Jeong Jeong shifted backwards slightly and waited a moment before speaking again.

"You do not possess the ability to firebend. However, Avatar Roku has passed on the information that you are able to heat your airbending. Show me this." Jeong Jeong asked.

Darya nodded and lifted her hands. She formed a ball of air in them and compressed it tightly. The air spun around and quickly heated up until steam poured off it and the hut had become increasingly hotter.

"Enough." Jeong Jeong said quietly.

"My normal bending is usually a bit warm too. I don't think I've ever created a cool breeze in my life." Darya added for good measure. For some reason, Avatar Roku had been keeping an eye on her. _Maybe he just wants to make sure I'm up for the task of protecting Aang._ She thought. It was Avatar Roku who had given her that task in the first place.

"I will not teach you as the I would teach a firebender. However, I feel it is important that you are careful with your bending." Jeong Jeong held up a hand as Darya was about to protest. "Yes, I know that airbenders are taught restraint at a young age, but I can see for myself that that particularly lesson never set in deeply with you."

Darya fell silent and they both looked at the swords which hung at her hips. "I guess not." She said quietly.

"Are you trained in using those. They are rather fearsome." Jeong Jeong asked.

"I taught myself. Thankfully I haven't had to use them in actual combat much, but when I did I held my own pretty well." Darya said, happy to share an accomplishment she had acquired all on her own, without even the monks to guide her.

"They have dragons on them. Your glider does as well, but the Avatar's is plain." Jeong Jeong said. It was not phrased as a question, but Darya could feel the question behind his words.

"I was brought to the Southern Air Temple when I was only five, but I can still remember a bit of the Fire Nation. I can hardly remember my father, I think because he was busy a lot. We lived in the palace so I assume that he was someone of some importance. Anyway, I remember the paintings of the dragons and I wished that I could bend fire and fly like they could. I guess I was blessed with only one of those abilities. After I left the Fire Nation, the only monk to inform me of my heritage what Monk Gyatso. He would tell me to 'calm my fire' if I was too angry, and sometimes he would call me little dragon. But the best thing he did for me was to carve my glider into the shape of a dragon. I was never a good monk because of my Fire Nation blood, at least that's what it felt like. But Monk Gyatso showed me that I didn't have to be ashamed of it. He was the father I never knew." Darya finished with tears in her eyes, which she refused to let fall. Somehow, this firebender had been able to ask in just the right way to make her spill some of her deepest secrets. She had never told anyone about feeling unsatisfactory at the Southern Air Temple, or how much her glider meant to her.

"I see. Airbenders learned their skills from the sky bison, while the firebenders learned from the dragons." Jeong Jeong said after a moment.

"Saizo." Darya blurted out, remembering the name the merchant had told her.

"Yes, the first dragon to teach firebending." Jeong Jeong said, looking slightly surprised. "How do you know that?"

Darya shuffled around the bag that was tied to her side. She fished out the golden dragon mask from the festival and handed it to Jeong Jeong.

"The merchant who sold that to me told me that it was Saizo, the golden dragon. I picked it because it looked like a painting of a golden dragon in the palace that I loved as a child. I would talk to it and pretend it talked back to me. I just- it reminded me of, not home exactly, but _a_ home. The first home taken from me." Darya explained, once more revealing more scars than she meant to. Jeong Jeong held the mask and stared at it for a while. Darya tried to guess what he was thinking, but his face was inscrutable.

"Yes, this is a mask of Saizo, but few know his name now. The merchant who sold it to you must be either powerful or well-traveled in order to hear that name. You, Darya, you have the abilities of the sky bison. They have taught you well and you manipulate air in a similar way as the bison. Yet, it is clear to me, that you have the heart of a dragon. You are fierce, determined, and savage, yet you are loving which only aids to your ferocity." Darya was shocked to hear herself described in such a way. However, Jeong Jeong wasn't finished. "You have a heart that burns with an inner fire found only in firebenders. This heats your air and gives you the ability to strike where Aang, or any other airbender, would flee. Be careful of your power or you will hurt those you love, but hone it and you will be able to defeat any opponent."

Jeong Jeong concluded, handing back the mask, and Darya felt her head spinning. Her life had never been normal, yet it seemed that at every turn it got more complicated. _So wait? On the inside, I'm a firebender? I'm so confused!_ Darya felt a headache growing and she excused herself from the hut. The sun was fading and Aang's silhouette was still on the mountain. She thought of going to him to seek advice, but decided that it was more important for him to practice firebending.

She ran to Appa, who was lounging near the river's edge, and grabbed her glider from his saddle. She deposited her bag onto the saddle when the mask of Saizo spilled out. She looked at it with a much deeper meaning now. She bent down and grabbed it, looking at it closely as if it would hold some answers.

The black eyes stared up at her while the snarling maw grinned wickedly. Jeong Jeong had called her savage, fierce, and determined. Determination she could see in herself, but fierce and savage did not seem to fit. _I don't think he mean that was bad though._ Darya thought. _I mean, he compared me to a dragon which is definitely a compliment. Maybe Avatar Roku told him something that I don't know. When we met in Hei Bei's forest he told me I would save the Fire Nation, whatever that could mean. It's Aang who will do that, and I'll just make sure he is safe until then._

Darya nodded and put the mask back in her bag. She would hold onto it as a reminder of her mission and of the words Jeong Jeong said. _Maybe one day I can make him proud,_ she thought. The old man had quickly found a place in her heart.

A scream interrupted her thoughts and Darya's head shot up, trying to locate the source of the scream. There was no following scream, but Darya began to hear someone crying loudly, and soon Katara emerged from the trees. Darya grabbed her glider and leapt off of Appa and glided to where Katara had her hands in the water.

"Katara, what's wrong? What happened?" Darya asked, worried about the source of Katara's pain. She was swiftly silenced as the water around Katara's hands glowed bright blue with spiritual energy. Katara's eyes were as wide as Darya's as she lifted her hands out of the water. They both looked at Katara's hands and the water for a moment before Darya broke the silence.

"Uhh, Katara, what _was_ that?" Darya asked, watching Katara closely and slightly wary. Katara looked at Darya with her mouth still open.

"I-I-" Katara started.

"You have healing abilities." The two girls jumped in the air as Jeong Jeong walked up the path behind them. He sat next to Katara and took her hands in his, turning them over gently. "The great benders of the Water Tribe sometimes have this ability. I've always wished I were blessed like you – free from this burning curse."

Darya stared at the master in silence, a horrible twisting in her gut formed as she saw how he viewed his powers. She was no fan of firebenders, but firebending itself could be incredibly beautiful.

"But you're a great master. You have powers I'll never know!" Katara said, wanting to comfort Jeong Jeong.

"Water brings healing and life. But fire brings only destruction and pain. It forces those of us burdened with its care to walk a razor's edge between humanity and savagery. Eventually, we are torn apart." Jeong Jeong stated somberly. Darya stared at him in horror as her mind turned to Zuko. She had seen this battle within him multiple times and it worried her to think that he may eventually be torn apart by his own bending. _I won't let that happen_ , Darya thought with determination.

Suddenly, the water in front of them exploded, showering the three on the bank in hot water. Gouts of flame blasted into the water near them as Jeong Jeong quickly rose and broke apart any flame that came too close to them. As the flames ceased, Darya could see three small Fire Nation riverboats cutting through the current. To her horror, she saw Zhao standing on the deck of one of the boats, watching them through a spyglass.

"Go, get your friends and flee! Do not come back here or you will all be destroyed. Hurry!" Jeong Jeong ordered as he sunk into a firebending stance. Katara immediately turned and ran, but Darya was frozen with indecision. Part of her wanted to run to Aang and sweep him away to safety. However, another part of her wanted to stay and fight with Jeong Jeong. She wanted to show him her power and see him defeat Zhao.

Darya was about to yell for Katara to tell Aang she would meet up with them, but then she remembered the task she was given by both Monk Gyatso and Avatar Roku. _No, I have to stay with Aang._ She spun around and leapt into the forest after Katara.

It didn't take the two girls long to find Sokka, who was preparing their supplies in Appa's saddle. As he heard their footfalls he turned around and looked at Katara with worry.

"Katara, are you alright?" Sokka asked, grabbing Katara's shoulders and looking at her with worry.

"I'm fine, we've got to get out of here. Where's Aang?" Katara asked, ignoring Sokka's worried gaze. Sokka thumbed towards Jeong Jeong's hut and Katara ran past him to it. Darya stayed with Sokka, knowing that Aang would be fine hearing the news from Katara.

"What do you mean is she alright?" Darya turned to Sokka and put her hands on her hips. She had felt left out of something important when she saw Katara crying on the river, but the combination of Jeong Jeong showing up and Zhao attacking had distracted her. Now that she had a second to think, she wanted answers.

"Aang burned Katara," Sokka said solemnly, turning to stare at Darya, "with firebending."

"He did what?!" Darya yelled, furious at the Avatar for doing something so stupid. She spun around when she heard Aang and Katara coming out of the hut.

"I have to help him!" Aang yelled, pulling out his glider. Before he had a chance to leapt into the air, Darya shot a blast of air at him, knocking the glider out of his hands. Aang yelled and looked around for his attacker, but only found a furious Darya glaring at him.

"You did what?" Darya asked as she stalked forward. Aang put up his hands, thoughts of Zhao forgotten in the face of such a fierce face.

"I didn't mean to." Aang began quickly. "I was impatient and I tried firebending before I was able to control it. But I just told Katara, I'm never firebending again."

"You . . . what?" Darya asked, her fierce gaze only getting hotter. Aang thought he could see small tongues of emerald flame shoot out of them.

"I'm never firebending again." Aang repeated, hoping it would appease Darya.

"Avatar Aang," Darya snarled, commanding the attention of Aang. "You were chosen to master all four elements. That includes firebending. I have been chosen to see that you fulfill your destiny of ending this war. This means that you will not only learn firebending, but you will master it. Fire may be destructive, but it is the only element with life of its own. It is just as important as the other elements, and if it takes me teaching you myself, you _will_ learn firebending. Now, get into the air and get over to your master."

Aang did not need to be told twice. He leapt into the air and silence reigned back on the ground. Darya looked between the two Water Tribe members before rolling her eyes.

"What? He's got a thick skull and some things need to be drilled in." With that, Darya took to the air in her own glider and followed Aang. She was tasked to keep him safe, and she would do just that.

* * *

Darya landed on the beach just as Jeong Jeong disappeared in a whirlwind of flame. Once more she wished she could create something so beautiful. _Not the time or the place, Darya, focus._

She turned to Zhao and Aang, who were squaring off against each other.

"It's a trick! He's run off into the woods, find him!" Zhao barked at his soldier. "Let's find out what my old master has taught you."

" _You_ were Jeong Jeong's student?" Aang exclaimed in surprise. Darya raised her eyebrows at this, but now she could see where Jeong Jeong's bitterness had come from.

"Until I got bored." Zhao growled darkly. "Ah, and I see my favorite airbender has arrived as well."

Darya felt a chill run down her spine as her green eyes met Zhao dark ones. The lack of humanity was apparent, and Darya remembered Jeong Jeong's words about the balance between humanity and savagery. _But didn't he call me savage?_ Darya felt a twinge of doubt form in her, but she pushed it to the side as Zhao struck out at Aang. Darya leapt out of the way as a ball of fire roared towards her as well.

They both danced around the fireballs as Zhao seemed to only get angrier.

"I see he taught you how to duck and run like a coward. But I doubt he showed you what a firebender is truly capable of!" Zhao launched another fireball at Aang, momentarily forgetting about Darya, which she was fine with. She watched the battle like a hawk, just in case Aang was too slow to dodge an attack.

Aang dodged several more searing fireballs, always dancing out of the way. As the latest fireball soared past him, he formed a ball of air to center himself with before yelling: "Whoa! Wild shot!" at Zhao.

"I'll show you wild!" Zhao yelled, shooting a quick volley of fireballs at Aang. Darya had to dodge a stray fireball that had found its way towards her. Unfortunately, it seemed that Zhao's attacks were too powerful and the forest surrounding them was starting to burn. Darya opened her glider and lifted off, but still keeping an eye on Aang. She formed a ball of air around a small chunk of the river and, with a lot of concentration, she moved the mass of water and air over the forest. With a sigh, she let the air stop, allowing the water inside of it to fall and extinguish the fire's below.

Aang was now dancing on the boats as Zhao continued to fire at him. Darya couldn't help but laugh as she saw Aang's rather obvious plan. Without firing a shot, Aang was provoking Zhao into torching his own ships. Two ships were in flames and sinking while the third was just catching.

She watched Aang say something to Zhao before leaping into the air and diving into the water. Darya took that as her cue to get the flames really going. She formed a wave of air that would encourage the flames. She watched as the air she produced met the roaring flames. The flames leapt higher as the air coaxed them higher, until the entire ship was alight with Zhao roaring in frustration on the deck.

"Have a nice walk home!" Aang yelled from the water. In the joy of a victory and the fact that Aang was safe, Darya laughed heartily. She swooped down and Aang grabbed her around the waist. They soared out of the way of Zhao's wrath and back to Appa and the others.

"Thanks for letting me do that on my own." Aang said as they landed gently on the riverbank next to Appa. Katara and Sokka were just finishing packing the saddle. Darya looked down at Aang and nodded, giving him a warm smile.

"You'll be a great Avatar, you know." She whispered to him, before running and leaping onto Appa's back.

They began to take off before Aang yelled and looked over the side of the saddle. "Where's Jeong Jeong?" He asked.

"He disappeared, they all did." Sokka replied as the four teens looked at the deserted village below.

They all took a deep sigh and relaxed into the saddle.

"I don't know about you guys, but this has been an exhausting week." Darya said, leaning back with her hands tucked under her head.

"A week?" Sokka laughed. "It's only been two days."

Darya just laughed and said a faint: "Oh!" Sokka shook his head at her and sat back in his own seat.

"Aang, you're burned." Katara said, making Darya look up.

"You are?" She asked, concerned. She hadn't seen him get hit, but it must have been while she was putting out the fire.

Katara opened her water bottle and bended a string of water out of it. The water gleamed and flashed in the sun as it wove around Katara's hands. Katara placed her hands on Aang's burned arm and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and a moment later her hands began to glow with the same blue spiritual energy. Katara held her hands there for only a few seconds before replacing the water. The all looked and saw that the angry red burn was gone.

"Wow! That's good water." Aang laughed, causing Darya to laugh too.

"When did you learn how to do that?" Sokka snapped.

"I guess I always knew." Katara shrugged.

"Oh, well then thanks for all the first aid over the years." Sokka grumbled, crossing his arms. "Like when I fell into the grease briar bramble and that time I had two fish hooks in my thumb!"

Darya was laughing at the images Sokka had just conjured. She was holding her stomach as she thought of him with two fish hooks in his thumb.

"Two?" She asked with tears in her eyes.

"He tried to get the first hook out with another hook." Katara giggled at the now red Sokka.

"Oh, and the time that big snake bit me! Thanks for healing that up. Really helpful." Sokka said sarcastically.

"Where'd it bite you?" Darya asked.

"His-" Katara started.

"Don't you _dare_ tell her that!" Sokka roared, tackling a shrieking Katara as Aang and Darya laughed hysterically. They flew off into the horizon, their journey to the north pole continuing once more.


	12. The Northern Air Temple

**Chapter 10 – The Northern Air Temple**

"So travelers, the next time you think you hear a strange large bird talking, take a closer look, it might not be a giant parrot, but a flying man! A member of a secret group of air walkers who laugh at gravity and laugh at those bound to the earth by it!"

Darya smiled at the storyteller, his face glowing in the firelight from the large fire that burned between him and the small audience. She looked at Aang and shared a grin with him, it was nice for them to hear stories of airbenders. Darya watched as the storytellers began to pack up their things and start asking for coins.

"Aren't airbender stories the best?" Aang asked Katara, who sat on the other side of him.

"Was it realistic? Was that how it was back then?" Katara asked, clearly interested.

"Darya and I laugh at gravity all the time!" Aang laughed, holding his stomach. "Gravity!"

Darya chuckled with him and then began to laugh harder as Sokka attempted to give the storyteller some lint and a bug from his empty pockets. Sokka looked over at her and scowled at her laughter. Darya only shook her head and got up as Aang did, in order to walk over to the storyteller and his great grandfather.

"Hey, thanks for the story!" Aang said to the storyteller.

"Tell it to the cap, boy!" The storyteller said, thrusting the cap with coins at Aang. A copper piece fell to the ground and Momo picked it up and put it back in the cap as the storyteller turned around.

"Aw, much obliged little bat thing!" The storyteller said as he patted Momo. Momo gave a scattered chirp and scampered up Aang's shoulder.

"It means a lot to hear airbender stories. It must have been a hundred years ago your great grandpa met them." Aang said, clearly hoping for more stories.

"What are you prattling about child? Great grand-pappy saw the air walkers last week!" The storyteller said, turning around for the last time.

Darya and Aang stared at each other, a look of disbelief shared between them. The Southern Air Temple had been ransacked and the airbenders within had been killed. However, they both knew that they were near the Northern Air Temple. Maybe, just _maybe_ some airbenders had survived.

"Aang" Darya started to say.

"I know, let's go." Aang said, spinning around. As they two airbenders left the campfire, they grabbed Sokka and Katara, who looked confused at the urgency in Darya and Aang's faces.

"Where are we going?" Katara asked as they all climbed on Appa.

"The Norther Air Temple." Darya and Aang said simultaneously.

* * *

"Hey, we're almost at the Northern Air Temple! This is where they had the championships for sky bison polo." Aang said, peering over the side of Appa and looking around through the clouds. "Darya, you played with the adult team here!"

Darya glanced back from where she sat on Appa's head, the reins in her hands. They had just risen above the cloud line, and Darya remembered coming here every year to watch the airbenders play polo. It had kept her practicing and she was eventually good enough to play with the adults, even though she was still a few years too young. Once more, her Fire Nation heritage had helped her be the best offensive player on the team.

"Yep! The team from the Southern Air Temple lost to the Western Air Temple, but we still beat the Northern Air Temple! That was a lot of fun." Darya said, melancholy washing over her as she remembered the thrill of the game and the feel of her bison soaring quickly through the air in order to get to the ball before all the others.

"Did you have a bison, Darya?" Katara asked. Darya felt her heart sink as she remembered her bison.

"Yeah, every airbender is paired with a bison. We're usually brought to a herd when we are young, around 7 or 8, depending on our skill level as well. The young bison then choose their rider. My bison was named Oolong, and he was the fastest bison you've ever seen! He wasn't very big, so he could move around the other bison on the field and we would sweep away the competition. He was fantastic!" Darya said, happy to remember her bison, but sad at his demise. "I don't know what happened to him. He probably died in the genocide, but even if he did survive, he couldn't have lived this long. I hope he escaped…"

Aang came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. Darya looked at him with tears in her eyes, but she didn't want him to see her cry, so she wiped them away. _He needs me to be strong_ , she thought. Darya lifted her eyes back to Aang's worried ones and smiled.

"It's ok, I'm sure that there are bison out there somewhere still. Maybe I can have another after you've defeated the Fire Lord!" Darya cheered. Aang was about to say something else, but Katara spoke before he could.

"Do you think we'll really find airbenders?" She said, and Aang and Darya looked over at her.

"You want me to be like you, or totally honest?" Sokka said, not looking up from his whittling.

"Are you saying I'm a liar?" Katara huffed, crossing her arms and glaring at her brother. Sokka ignored her look and continued on.

"I'm saying you're an optimist. Same thing basically." Sokka snorted. Katara opened her mouth to yell at him when Aang called them over.

"Hey guys, look at this!" The excitement in his voice made Darya spin around and face the front again. The Northern Air Temple's silhouette had been visible for some time, but they were now close enough to see small black things whirling around in the air around it. Darya felt her breath catch in her throat as she watched the black dots become larger and what looked like huge gliders became apparent. Darya watched them move in the air and she felt her joy sink into disappointment.

"Huh, they really are airbenders!" Katara exclaimed in excitement, not able to see the look that Aang and Darya shared.

"No, they're not." Aang said, sitting back and folding him arms.

"What do you mean they're not? Those guys are flying!" Sokka said, apparently still happy.

"Gliding maybe, but not flying." Aang grumbled, and Sokka and Katara looked to him and Darya for clarification. When it was obvious that Aang did not want to continue, Darya spoke up.

"You can tell by the way they move." She explained. "Those people have no spirit."

As she finished, a glider passed over their heads, dangerously close to them. A teenage boy around Darya's age, wearing goggles, Earth Kingdom clothes, and in what looked like a wheelchair, laughed at them from under the glider's wings. Darya gaped at him as he turned the glider around towards them again.

"I don't know, Darya. That kid seems pretty spirited." Katara said, pointing to the glider.

The glider made another pass over them, and Darya and Aang shared a competitive look. It was not unusual for airbenders to show off their abilities to each other, it was their way of encouraging others to work and improve their bending. Both Darya and Aang had competed when they were younger, and it was through competing with the Avatar that Darya had gotten so good at bending. She knew she would never have the raw power Aang had, but she knew that she could beat him in a fight with shear cleverness. Both airbenders grabbed their gliders and leapt off of Appa.

Darya fell for a few seconds before she opened her glider and used bending to gain height until she was next to the boy, Aang joining her on his other side. The boy looked at them in admiration and laughed at their challenge. Darya could see the unhappy look on Aang's face and felt it reflected on her own. This kid needed to be taught a lesson by some _true_ airbenders. Darya flipped upside down and dove below the boy's glider. She shot forward until she could look up at him from her position in the sky.

"That's impressive!" The boy cried, the smile still firmly in place. Darya grinned impishly, enjoying the compliment, but not forgetting that she was trying to prove a point. She twisted suddenly and shot up and over the boy's glider until she was flying next to him again, her red and gold robes snapping in the harsh wind.

The boy changed directions so that he was flying upwards, with Darya and Aang still close beside him. They flew in that formation for a few seconds before the boy hit his brakes and did a loop around them until he was behind them. Darya, Aang, and the stranger began a looping braid around each other in a controlled dive. Darya's golden hair streamed behind her like the tail of a comet and her dragon blades snarled and flashed in the bright sun. Her glider's dragon head, permanently open in a snarl added to the ferocity and beauty that was Darya.

"Hey, you guys are pretty good!" The boy yelled over the winds. Darya couldn't help but be impressed with the boy's ability to keep up with them. _He may not be a bender, but he seems to have some spirit in him_.

"Yeah, I know." Aang said snottily, and Darya scowled at him. They were showing off but there was no reason to lose their humility. "But I can do more than fancy gliding."

Aang broke off his descent and turned to one of the many towers of the temple. He let go of his glider and began running along the side of the tower, parallel to the ground. He then produced an air scooter and jumped on, riding in along the tower with his glider following him. He was only on the scooter shortly before letting in fade away and grabbing his glider again. He quickly soared into the sky and moved next to Darya.

"Wow! I don't think I can do that, but here's a good one!" The boy cried, released a cord on his glider. A cylinder that had previously gone unnoticed opened and began to leave a trail of thick, grey smoke. The boy moved his glider in large arcs and small loops. Darya laughed out loud as a picture of her and Aang was revealed. The smoke pictures were scowling caricatures of themselves, and she felt herself relax. _Yep, this kid definitely has spirit._ She smiled then, happy that the Northern Air Temple was inhabited by at least one person who contained the spirit of an airbender.

"What do you think?" The boy laughed over the wind.

"It's great." Aang scowled, clearly not amused.

"It's great!" Darya laughed, loving it.

All three began to descend and Darya and Aang landed gracefully beside Sokka and Katara, who were both trying to cover up their laughter. The boy landed right behind them, but landed much less gracefully. He applied on brakes and skidded a few feet before he came to a rocky stop. Several other kids came up to him and helped to detach the glider from his wheelchair. The boy then wheeled over to the four travelers, a huge smile on his face.

"Hey! You're _real_ airbenders! One of you must be the Avatar!" The boy exclaimed. Darya pointed to Aang and the boy focused on him. "That's amazing! I've heard stories about you. And you're the other airbender, frozen in time with the Avatar!"

Darya blushed as the boy turned to look at her. She didn't know that people were talking about her too.

Aang rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Thanks."

"Wow! That glider chair is incredible." Sokka said, moving forward to look at it closely. Several girls brought the glider piece of it back in order for him to look at as well.

"If you think this is good, wait until you see the other stuff my dad designed. I'm Teo, by the way." Teo introduced himself and Darya moved forward to pat him on the shoulder.

"It's good to meet you Teo." She said, looking pointedly at Aang, who purposely ignored her look. Teo seemed not to notice and began rolling away, the others following him. They moved through the huge main gate of the Northern Air Temple and into the main temple area. They swiftly moved as a group to reach the main chamber, and once there, Darya and Aang stopped in shock.

The main chamber was covered in dirty pipes, wheels, and gears. A large statue of a sky bison with a ball of air between its front feet stood tall and proud amid a pool of foul green liquid. A river of brown ooze trailed down its proud face. The once beautiful statue of the founding monk that was in a recess in the wall was dirty and fouled with the smoke that lingered in the room. The smell was pungent and Darya felt her admiration of Teo from earlier vanish to be replaced by anger.

"Wow!" Sokka said, running forward, oblivious of the unhappy Aang and the steaming Darya.

"Yeah, my dad is the mastermind behind this whole place! Everything's powered by hot air. It even pumps hot air currently outside to give us a lift when we're gliding." Teo said proudly, also oblivious to the mood of the two airbenders.

A woman walked into the room and climbed into a cage against the wall. She pulled a rope and steam poured out as she was lifted to a higher level of the temple. Darya glared after her, her left hand resting on one of her swords while her other gripped her glider in a death grip. She could remember the beauty of this temple when she had come over a hundred years ago, and it was erased by the work of only a few men. _And they aren't even Fire Nation,_ she growled, feeling distrust build for the Earth Kingdom. It was becoming apparent that not just the Fire Nation was capable of disrespecting the Air Nomads.

"This place is unbelievable." Aang said in a dull voice.

"Yeah, it's great isn't it?" Teo said, not hearing the unhappy tone in Aang's voice.

"No, just unbelievable." Aang said sadly and began walking along the walls of the main chamber.

Darya and Aang were looking up at a once beautiful mural, telling the story of how the first airbenders learned airbending from the sky bison and the forming of the temples. The mural was destroyed by dirt and grime, but worst of all, the figures of the airbenders and the monks were destroyed by pipes piercing the wall.

"This is supposed to be the history of our people." Aang whispered to Darya, sorrow heavy in his voice. Darya was holding back her airbending so hard she didn't hear Aang. All she heard was the roaring of the wind in her ears and she felt the steam rise from her palms. Little tongues of hot air were escaping and heating the air around her.

Katara came over and put a gentle hand on Aang's shoulder, but Aang just shrugged it off and walked over the statue of the sky bison. The once clear fountain was obscured by thick green ooze, and the proud bison seemed to fight to keep its head up as the brown goop slithered down its face. The green ooze bubbled and the pipes around it began to shake before a cloud of black smoke belched out from between the bison's snarling teeth.

Aang leapt back while Katara moved to be near him again.

"Ugh!" Aang coughed at the black smoke.

"I'm sure some parts of the temple are still the same." Katara said comfortingly. Darya heard her over the wind and she held onto that thought, praying that there was a piece of her history still left intact.

"There is! Let me show you." Teo said as he wheeled himself over to them. He motioned for them to follow, and Darya forced her legs to move, desperate to see something left in peace.

The walked down a long hall that was covered in gurgling pipes and exited to find themselves in an open courtyard. The courtyard was dirty, but it was the natural dirt of time and lack of people. The statues of the famous airbenders who had come from that temple were surrounding them, and Darya felt herself relax slightly. _Agni, I don't know what I would've done if this had been destroyed too._

"It's nice to see even one part of the temple that isn't ruined." Aang breathed a sigh of relief and walked around the courtyard. Katara moved to stand by him and they looked up at one of the monk statues. Their peace was interrupted sharply by a loud yell.

"Look out!" A voice cried from behind the wall opposite of the airbender they were looking at.

Suddenly, a wrecking ball tore through the statue and caused Aang and Katara to fly backwards with the debris and dust. Darya exploded with the air she was desperately trying to contain. She propelled herself forward with incredible speed and grabbed Aang out of the air, holding him tight to her. With the leftover air, she made a pocket of air to break Katara's fall. They all looked through the hole in the once beautiful wall and saw a multitude of people staring at them.

A man walked forward out of the dust, revealing a bald head with odd patches of hair sticking out on the sides of it. His right eye was covered in a red monocle and his eyebrows were in tatters. Altogether, he had the appearance of a rather mad scientist. His green Earth Kingdom clothes were covered in a filthy white smock. Darya glared daggers at him.

"What a doodle!" The man exclaimed, his eyebrows wagging. "Don't you know enough to stay away from construction sites? We have to make room for the bathhouse!"

"Do you know what you did?" Aang shouted as he and Darya shifted into airbending stances. "You just destroyed something sacred!"

"For a bathhouse!" Darya snarled, her eyes flashing with green fire.

"Well, people around here are starting to stink." The man said, waving his hand in front of his nose as if he could smell something bad.

"This whole place stinks!" Aang yelled.

Darya and Aang moved together to create a huge blast of heated air. They slammed their staffs down and struck the ground, forcing the air forward and through the hole in the wall. The air struck the wrecking ball with a hiss and the entire rig was blown off the side of the mountain. It fell through the clouds and a faint crash sounded from below. Darya growled in satisfaction before turning back to the man. Aang moved with her and they both stayed in their stances.

"This is a sacred temple! You can't treat it this way. I've seen it when the monks were here. I know what it's supposed to look like!" Aang shouted, still angry.

"The monks? But you're 12!" The man exclaimed in disbelief.

"And I'm 16, yet we have both been here." Darya snarled.

"Dad, he's the Avatar. He used to come here a hundred years ago. She was frozen in time with him." Teo said, moving towards his dad. Darya officially took back any compliments she had paid Teo before. If this was his dad and he approved of what was being done to the temple, she had no respect for either of them.

"What are you doing? Who said you could be here?" Aang demanded, stepping towards Teo's dad.

The mechanist turned and looked off into the distance, and he began to speak: "Hmmm … doing here … A long time ago, but not a hundred years, my people became refugees after a terrible flood. My infant son, Teo, was badly hurt and lost his mother."

The mechanist paused and stood with his hands of Teo's shoulders, looking at his son with deep sadness. Darya felt sympathy tug at her heart, but she pushed it aside, wanting to remain angry.

"I needed somewhere to rebuild and I stumbled across this place. I couldn't believe it! Everywhere pictures of flying people. But empty! Nobody home! Then I came across these fan like contraptions." The mechanist spread out his arms to mimic the gliders.

"Our gliders." Aang supplied.

"Yes, little flying machines. They gave me an idea. Build a new life for my son, in the air! Then everyone would be on equal ground, so to speak. We're just in the process of improving upon what's already here and after all, isn't that what nature does?" The mechanist finished, looking between Aang and Darya. Darya was still unhappy with his explanation.

"Nature knows where to stop." Aang retorted, clearly not happy either. Darya nodded her head to add emphasis.

"I suppose that's true. Unfortunately, progress has a way of getting away from us." The mechanist looked down sadly, and Darya felt that there was more to that look, and she didn't like it.

"Look at the time!" The mechanist gasped, looking at several candles that stood nearby. Darya was not happy with his distraction, but she felt that if they continued she would be too tempted to blast him off the mountain as well.

"Come, the pulley system must be oiled before dark." The mechanist said to a man with a pad of paper who stood behind him.

"Wait, how can you tell the time from that thing? The notches all look the same." Sokka said, stepping closer to the candles, a curious look on his face.

"The candle will tell us, watch." The mechanist said, stepping behind Sokka to watch the candles with him. Darya narrowed her eyes but still stood next to Aang. The familiar tug of curiosity was tugging at her, but she decided to ignore it. Well, try to ignore it.

The candle flame wavered for a moment and then the flame snapped four times, accompanied by four little pops.

"You put spark powder in the candle!" Sokka exclaimed, clearly impressed.

"Four flashes, so it's exactly four hours past midday, or, as I call it, four o'candle!" The mechanist chuckled. "If you like that, wait until you see my finger safe knife sharpener! It only took three tries to get it right!"

The mechanist held up his hand which was covered in a wooden cast. He removed three wooden fingers and threw them at Sokka as he walked past.

"Aaah!" Sokka shrieked girlishly as he tried not to touch the fingers too much.

"Follow me!" The mechanist said, motioning for them to follow him. Sokka and the others ran after him, leaving Darya, Aang, Katara, and Teo alone. Darya met Aang's sorrowful gaze and she felt her anger dissipate, only to be replace with a deep sorrow. She had already had her family and friends ripped away from her, and now her history was being ransacked in front of her own eyes. She saw the same feelings mirrored in Aang's eyes.

"Hey Aang, Darya, I want to show you something." Teo interrupted their staring, only to be assaulted by the two gazes of the airbenders.

"What is it?" Aang asked. Darya just glared at Teo, daring him to add fuel to her rising fire.

He swallowed before wheeling himself down a hallway. Aang and Katara began to follow him, but Darya hesitated. She looked back at the destroyed wall and felt her heart break a little. This was the courtyard where her sky bison polo team had met after defeating the Northern Air Temple's team. She could see her teammates celebrating in her mind's eye while their bison roared above them.

She sighed and turned to follow Aang down the hall, curious to see where Teo was leading them. She caught up to them as they were looking at a small zebra hermit crab. It sat calmly in Teo's hand as he explained how there were still creatures who kept the temple's origins.

She smiled when she saw Aang smile at the crab.

"Besides, there's one part of the temple that hasn't changed at all." Teo said, excitement on his face. They all began walking in silence again while Aang stroked the shell of the hermit crab. He smiled up at Darya and showed it to her. She smiled softly back at him and felt the tear in her heart begin to knit back together. The shock of seeing the temple so torn apart was wearing off, and she began to see that it was serving as a shelter for a people in need. She was still unhappy with how they were destroying the temple, but she was feeling better about them being there.

They were walking down a long hallway now that had the swirling airbending symbol painted on the floor in regular intervals. Ahead of them stood a familiar door shaped in the same symbol that was on the floor. Two large horns encircled the carvings and flared open at the bottom. Darya knew that with a bit of airbending, the door would swing open and reveal the most sacred part of their temple.

"Hey, it's just like the one in the other air temple!" Katara said, looking to Aang. Darya looked over and saw a look of deep concentration on Aang's face. She had a feeling she knew what he was thinking.

"Only an airbender can open it – so inside it's completely untouched, just the way the monks left it. I've always wondered what it was like in there." Teo said, staring at the door longingly. Darya couldn't help but feel curious herself. She had only been in the inner sanctuary of the Southern Air Temple once and that had been during the Fire Nation invasion. She had no idea if the Northern Air Temple would look the same or not. However, she also wanted to leave it undisturbed. As she wrestled with her thoughts, Aang made the decision for her.

"I'm sorry, this is the last part of the temple that is the same as it was. I want it to stay that way." Aang said, lowering his head and turning away. Darya sighed in relief that he made that decision. She may not be filled to the brim with anger like she had been before, but she had not forgiven Teo either, and did not think he was worthy to enter the inner sanctuary.

"I completely understand. I just wanted you to know it was here." Teo looked at both Aang and Darya.

"Thanks." Aang said while Darya stayed silent. She couldn't bring herself to say anything, and she didn't know what she would say if she could.

Aang turned around and started walked down the hall they had come. Darya trailed behind the group, deep in thought and fighting the anger that continued to bubble to the surface every time she saw a pipe piercing the wall or a portrait destroyed. She tried to remember what Jeong Jeong had told her about controlling her powers, and she knew now that this anger came from her father's side of the family. She didn't want to hurt anyone, and her thin hold on her airbending powers when they had seen the wrecking ball in the courtyard honestly scared her. _I don't want to become like the Fire Nation,_ she thought, a chill running down her spine. _The respectable Fire Nation of my childhood is gone, leaving only monsters._ Then she thought of Iroh. _I guess they aren't_ all _horrible monsters._ Then she thought of Zuko. _And some are just monstrously huge and confusing idiots._

Darya sighed and looked up when she felt the cool air hit her. They were back outside, and she saw many people gliding through the sky. They looked happy and peaceful, and her anger retreated again. She couldn't help but conclude that maybe, _maybe_ , the temple wasn't as bad as she had thought. Being away from the smoke and debris definitely gave her a clearer head. _I need to control that anger,_ she thought, worried at how much it was effecting her thinking.

"Aang, I'm going to fly for a while." Darya said to her little brother. He nodded and walked over to where Teo was trying to get Katara to fly. Darya smiled at them and then leapt into the air, unfurling the wings of her glider. She flew up high, higher than all of the other gliders and circled like a great, gold and red dragon. She rose up so high that she could no longer see the details of the gliders and even the large form of Appa was faint. The air was thin and Darya found it harder to catch her breath. However, she wanted that peace. She had always felt best in the air, especially when she was high up and close to the sun.

 _Sometimes, I wish I was just an airbender. I wish I had a mother who had lived and a father who was an airbender. I wish I could get my tattoos and I wish that the airbenders were still alive._ Darya felt glum. Her emotions, which were often buried, rose to the surface and she felt tears prick the corners of her eyes. Disgusted with her weakness, she wiped them away and folded in the wings of her glider. As she turned into a nose dive, feeling weightless, she let her torn emotions tear away with the wind. Her hair snapped in her face and her eyes stung with the force of the wind, but the physical feelings chased away all other feelings. _I need to stop thinking so much,_ Darya thought, laughing out loud. Her laugh was quickly stolen by the wind, and Darya flipped onto her back. She continued to freefall, feeling the air around her change as she grew closer to the ground.

"Darya!" A voice interrupted her free-fall, and Darya turned around again to see Aang gliding towards her. She snapped open her own glider and moved to be parallel with the ground once more. With her fall stopped, Aang quickly flew next to her, his cheeks red from the cool mountain air.

"What's up?" Darya smiled at him, her mind more at peace than before.

"It's about the sanctuary." Aang started. "Teo taught Katara how to use a glider today and the way he was explaining it … it sounded just like the spirit the monks taught us. He may not be an airbender, but he has the spirit of one."

Darya stayed silent for a few moments. Her peace was ruffled by this new development. She felt reluctant to allow anyone but Aang into the sanctuary, but she also trusted Aang's intuition.

"Alright, let's go see it." Darya said with a nod. The two airbenders dove down and landed in the large front courtyard. Teo and Katara were standing patiently. Aang and Darya twirled their gliders shut and walked towards them.

"Teo, Darya agreed! Let's go see what's in the sanctuary." Aang said, smiling broadly. Darya wished she could feel the same joy as him, but it wasn't as easy for her to let go of her original feelings.

* * *

Horror consumed her. Darya stared, eyes and mouth agape as she saw the horrors that lay within the temple. She had been slightly concerned that they might find the remains of the last airbenders since Teo's father never mentioned anything about finding bodies. However, when the doors swung open, she realized that she couldn't have imagined the horrors the lay inside.

"This is a nightmare." Aang's flat voice shocked her and she looked over to him. His face was drawn and clearly in shock. Darya could feel the anger she had let go of in the air return to her in full force. It was almost as bad as when she had heard the Fire Nation soldiers bragging about the death they had caused. This time, there was no Avatar Roku to calm her down.

"You don't understand." The voice of Teo's father sounded behind them and Darya spun around, sending a blast of heated air at him while making sure to avoid hitting Sokka who stood next to him. It knocked him over and he lay with his hands up in surrender. Darya pointed her glider at him, her eyes daring him to challenge her.

"You're making weapons for the Fire Nation!" Aang roared, pointing an accusing finger at the mechanist.

"You make weapons for the Fire Nation!?" Sokka yelled, jumping back as if the mechanist was contagious.

"Explain all this! Now!" Teo asked, his voice full of emotion. Teo wheeled himself forward until he was next to him father. The mechanist looked at everyone, a pleading look in his eyes.

"It was about a year after we moved here. Fire Nation soldiers found our settlement. You were too young to remember this tale. They were going to destroy everything, burn it to the ground. I pleaded with them, I begged them to spare us. They asked what I had to offer. I offered my services. You must understand, I did this for you!" Teo looked disgusted at his father and he turned away. The mechanist tried to get up, but another blast from Darya kept him on the floor.

"You're not going anywhere, traitor." Darya growled, her voice low and quiet. Her anger was consuming her, steam curling off of her body, making her look otherworldly.

"Darya, let him go. There's no point in keeping him here." Aang said, coming to stand beside her.

"I'm sorry, Aang, but I can't risk him doing more damage than he already has." Darya said, not taking her eyes off the trembling man.

"What did Monk Gyatso always say to you? Um ... calm something, calm something." Aang muttered to himself.

"Calm your fire!" Aang shouted as he remembered, placing a hand on Darya's still steaming arm. She turned to face him, the old saying doing its work. She looked at Aang with wide eyes, questioning his judgement. She saw his eyes harden, and realized that this would not go unpunished. That knowledge made her step back, allowing the mechanist to stand up. Without brushing the dust off of himself, he walked away down the hallway.

Darya spun around, using her anger to power her movement, and sent a wave of air into the sanctuary. The blade of air filled the space and the weapons and torture devices exploded. With a tremendous crash, the entire room fell in; the weapons of death were destroyed.

"Darya!" Katara yelled in shock. Darya turned back around slowly, her eyes still glowing, but the edge of her anger was gone.

"What?" She snapped.

"You're . . . steaming." Katara pointed out. Darya looked down at herself and saw trails of steam rise off her palms. _I look like Zuko._ That thought sent a wave of confusion through her.

"I'm sorry." She grumbled. She shook her hands and the steam disappeared. "I lost control and I guess . . . I guess the _fire_ in me came out." She snarled the last sentence, angry with herself. Her friends all stared at her in concern, but Darya brushed it off. "I'll be fine. Come on, we need to know when the Fire Nation are coming. I need to blow off more steam."

Darya smiled at her friends, although it didn't quite meet her eyes. They nodded and followed Sokka to the mechanists' office. As they reached it, Aang took charge immediately.

"When are they coming?" Aang asked as they all filled into the small office.

"Soon." The mechanist replied, looking at a candle which sparked. "Very soon."

"You can't give them more weapons." Aang stated while Darya nodded from beside him.

"If I don't give them what they want they will destroy this place." The mechanist pleaded. A balloon that was floating in the air above them caught fire from the candle burning at its base. Darya couldn't help but think it was an ominous sign. The balloon fell to the floor and the mechanist bent to put out to flame with a towel.

"How can I be proud of you when your inventions are being used for murder?" Teo asked as he moved into the room. His father looked up sharply and then looked away again, too ashamed to meet his son's eyes.

"I need some time to think." The mechanist said. They all stood there in the office silently as if waiting for an answer. As they were waiting, a little bell tinkled on the wall. "You need to leave! Go!"

Darya, Sokka, and Katara all looked towards the bell in worry while Aang and Teo stood still.

"We're not leaving!" Teo stated.

"Then hide, quickly!" The mechanist insisted, shooing the lot of them behind a tower of boxes and spare parts. Darya pulled Aang behind her, just in case whoever was coming found them hiding.

The mechanist pulled a lever on the wall and a trap door in the floor opened up with a ominous cloud of steam. A man dressed in Fire Nation clothing rose through the door, his face set in a deep scowl. Darya felt Aang tremble slightly from his spot behind her.

"You know better than to keep me waiting." The Fire Nation man snapped, his deep voice rumbled around the room. "Give me what you owe us so I can be on my way."

The mechanist looked down and shuffled his foot slightly, clearly decided what to do.

"Well? Is there a problem?" The Fire Nation soldier growled, his presence in the room becoming dark and intimidating. The mechanist stuttered and looked back up, his eyes full of fear.

"No, right this way." Darya growled as the mechanist motioned for the Fire Nation man to follow him out the door.

Before she could do anything, Aang used airbending to slam the door shut and to place himself in front of it. He set himself in a bending stance with his staff pointing towards the Fire Nation soldier.

"The deal's off!" Aang shouted.

"The Avatar!" The Fire Nation man cried out in surprise.

"Aang, don't get involved!" The mechanist shouted.

"If I don't get what I came for the Fire Nation will burn this place to rubble!" The Fire Nation soldier pointed a threatening finger at the mechanist. Darya took that moment to step out from her hiding spot and stand next to Aang. They both stared down their gliders at the Fire Nation soldier.

"Get out of here! You're leaving empty handed!" Aang said, striking the soldier with a whip of air. The soldier took a step back, holding his face where he was whipped.

"Then the destruction of this temple will be on your head." The Fire Nation soldier cried, pointing a finger at Aang. He quickly turned around and retreated down the trap door, a trail of steam following him. Darya shut the trapdoor shut with a snap of airbending.

"We need to get outside and see what's going on." Darya said quickly, memories of the Southern Air Temple invasion were pouring through her. "I'll be damned before I let that happen again."

"Let's go." Sokka said, pulling Katara by the hand and out the door. Darya followed them with Aang, Teo, and his father following them. They ran down the hallways quickly and found themselves in the main courtyard of the temple.

"This is bad, very bad!" Sokka was saying, pacing nervously. Darya was perched on top of the walls, looking down into the clouds for any sign of an attack. She was not optimistic enough to think that the Fire Nation would leave them alone, and she had seen the tank-like contraptions that could scale a mountain when they had invaded the Southern Air Temple. She loved and respected the monks, but she wouldn't try and escape like they had. No, she would throw the Fire Nation down.

"Aang, what are we going to do? How can we possibly keep them all away?" Katara was saying, shaking in fear. Aang was looking up at Darya, and their eyes met. Darya swooped down then and put a hand on Katara's shoulder.

"I'll tell you how." She pointed up to the sky. "We have something they don't."

Aang's eyes were shining with hope and he continued where Darya left off. "Air power! We control the sky. That's something the Fire Nation can't do. We can win!"

Darya allowed herself to grin at Aang. She was confident that with the combined power of her friends and the inhabitants of the temple, they would be able to defeat whatever the Fire Nation threw at them.

"I want to help." Teo's father said suddenly, stepping forward. Darya glared at him, but stayed silent, allowing Aang to decide.

"Good, we'll need it." Aang said, smiling. Darya nodded and they all filed back inside to the mechanists' office. When they were in there, the mechanist and Sokka were busy patting each other on the back for getting the war balloon, which had been problematic, to work.

"This boy's a genius!" The mechanist cried with enthusiasm, clearly happy to be with the good guys.

"Thank you, you're a genius!" Sokka said in reply, putting his arm around the mechanist. Darya couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her lips. Despite their dire situation and her rather foul mood throughout the day, seeing Sokka acting like his usually goofy self, made her feel better.

"Thank you!" The mechanist replied back, putting his arm around Sokka as well, their smiles stretching from ear to ear.

"See, the problem with the old war balloon was you could get it airborne, but once you did, it just kept going." Sokka explained, using the miniature balloon to demonstrate. "You could put a hole in the top, but then all the hot air would escape. So the question became, how do you keep a lid on hot air?"

"If only we knew." Katara whispered to Aang and Darya. The airbenders laughed while Sokka scowled at them over the new model he had made.

"A lid is actually the answer. If you control the hot air, you control the war balloon." Sokka demonstrated by pulling a string connected to the lid on the top of the balloon. The lid opened and closed, revealing a way to release some air, but not all of it.

"Hmm, that's actually pretty smart." Katara said in surprise.

"Okay, we've got four kinds of bombs. Smoke, slime, fire and…" Sokka trailed off, looking at the mechanist.

"Stink!" The mechanist cried in excitement. "Never underestimate the power of stink!"

* * *

Later in the evening with the sun setting dramatically, the residents of the air temple stood waiting for the Fire Nation. Darya looked around and was proud to see her friends standing tall and proud, ready to fight for their lives. It was distinctly different from the scattered panic of the airbenders a hundred years ago, and Darya felt a pang of sorrow and of fear. She had wanted to stay and fight, but Monk Gyatso had given her a more important mission. She had been unable to defend the people she had called family, but that would not be what happened this day. She would fight to protect her new family, and she refused to die herself.

"They're coming!" A little girl cried as she looked over the edge of the air temple. Darya opened her glider and waited for Aang to give the signal. She knew they were waiting for Sokka and the war balloon, but they were nowhere in sight.

"Are we ready?" Teo asked. He was looking around anxiously with his glider ready to go on his wheelchair.

"Yes, but where's Sokka with the war balloon?" Katara said, voicing Darya's thoughts.

"We'll have to start without him." Aang said, leaping into the air with his glider. Darya unfurled hers as well and took to the air. The two benders looked down and saw many of the residents with their gliders in a neat formation. Teo had taken to the air with them, and both he and Aang split off, indicating for the two different squads of gliders to take off. The gliders took to the air, and Darya swooped in and out of them, making sure everyone was prepared and they all had their bombs with them.

After she could see that everyone was ready, she turned her attention back to the Fire Nation soldiers marching up switchback paths on the side of the mountain. Anger began to bubble in her stomach, but she quickly dismissed it. _I will not be blinded by my anger again,_ she thought. Jeong Jeong's words of warning and his order to hone her skills were in the forefront of her brain. _If he thinks I'm powered by my Fire Nation blood, then I'll use it to my advantage. I will be fierce like a firebender, but controlled like an airbender._

Darya dived down and cast several blades of hot air at the soldiers, knocking them off the path and causing them to fall to the valley below. She felt her heart squeeze at the sounds of their screams, but she knew it was them or her. Visions of smoke and blood flashed before her eyes, and Darya knew she couldn't afford to lose focus on defending the temple. She didn't want Aang to witness what she had.

Many other Fire Nation soldiers were falling under the bombs being thrown at them by the other gliders.

"Take them out of the sky, now!" An officer cried loudly. The soldiers lowered their spears, but they proved to be no more than twigs as Aang sent an avalanche down the mountain, completely wiping out the rows of soldiers.

"Well done, Avatar Aang!" Darya shouted as she flew by him.

"We've got them on the run! We need more slime!" Aang cried in triumph as the remained soldiers turned tail and retreated. Darya smiled brightly at the fading soldiers and sent a wave of air to help them along.

Her joy was cut short by a horrifyingly familiar sound. The air was pierced by a several large spikes with chains trailing after them. With the grinding of gears, spiked tanks were revealed, crawling up the mountain using the spikes as anchors. Darya recognized them as the assault tanks used to destroy the Southern Air Temple.

"Aang, we need to destroy those tanks, now!" Darya shouted, using another blade of hot air to attack the tanks. Her attack simply washed over it with a hiss of steam at the hot air met the cold metal. The other gliders were dropping bombs on the tanks, but they were proving useless as well. The tanks continued their steady and ominous ascent.

Darya and Aang shot towards one of the hooks and used their combined bending to uproot it. The tank began to fall back to the earth, but another hook shot out before it could fall far.

"Aang!" Darya cried as the hook nearly impaled him. The tanks continued to climb. Darya leapt over the chain and pulled Aang away from the edge of the cliff as the tanks gained level ground before them. The tops of the tanks opened up to reveal firebenders inside. The firebenders began to shoot flames at the gliders in the sky, and Darya and Aang who were still on the ground. Darya shot a razor of air at the flames and they curled around the two airbenders. The gliders above simply dodged out of the way.

Darya watched two bombs fall and explode slime all over the faces of two firebenders. She looked at Aang and they both knew what to do. Darya shot forward and created a tornado of air that blasted the tank off the side of the mountain. The tank flipped upside down and slid back, almost falling off the mountain when the main cabin spun and righted itself. The tank began advancing again while the firebender instead cleared slime away from his face. Darya roared and struck out again, but the tank only righted itself once more. She fell back until she was next to Aang. The firebenders in the tanks shot blast after blast of air at them, but the two airbenders simply batted them away.

Darya looked up as the shadow of Appa fell over them and Katara landed in the middle of her and Aang. She took a bending stance and froze one of the tanks with a wall of ice. Darya watched, impressed as Katara bent the water inside of the tanks, causing the wheels to fall off.

Another tank was advancing swiftly and its hook grabbed Aang's glider. Darya and Katara worked in tandem to bend the tank on its side, stopping its progress. They looked up and saw in horror that there were at least a dozen more tanks bearing down on them. Aang and Darya leapt in front of Katara in order to bat away the many fire blasts coming at them.

The bulky form of Appa landed in front of the trio, sending a wave of snow into the air. Appa swung his huge head around and knocked over the two tanks in the front of the formation, giving Katara and Aang enough time to climb on. Darya took to the air next to them on her glider. She flew close to them and surveyed the battlefield. Their feeling of victory had dissipated at they watched the tanks crawl towards the temple. Infantry soldiers had safely climbed the mountain as well while the gliders were distracted by the tanks. The small group turned and landed in the main courtyard that had been turned into an airstrip for the gliders. Teo motioned for them to come over. He pointed into several empty bags.

"We're out of bombs!" He said, despair clear in his voice. Darya looked down, worried that maybe they wouldn't win the battle. She turned around and looked into the air, knowing Sokka and air balloon were their only hope now.

"Come on, Sokka, where's that war balloon?" Katara said out loud, looking up as well.

"There!" Darya shouted, glancing behind Katara. The red balloon rose up, proud against the light of the setting sun. A black Fire Nation symbol was painted onto it and it gave Darya a thrill to see that symbol fighting for the side of good for once.

"I'll go tell them what has happened." Darya said, taking off towards the balloon. She reached it quickly and landed awkwardly in the small basket. Sokka and the machinist were looking at her in surprise, but then they got back to work.

"It's pretty bad down there, we were chased off by those tanks that they have. No one has been severely injured, but it takes an enormous amount of effort to stop even one of the tanks." Darya said quickly, looking over the side of the basket. The tanks and infantry were ignoring the huge balloon floating above them.

"Hey, why aren't they shooting at us?" Sokka asked, looking over the side with Darya. The airbender turned to look at him. She rolled her eyes when it was clear Sokka wasn't joking.

"The insignia, Sokka. They think we're on their side." Darya said, pointing up at the large black Fire Nation insignia. Sokka smiled, ignoring her tone and moved to cut a thick rope holding a large leather bag.

"Then I guess they won't see this coming." He laughed, cutting the rope.

"Bombs away!" The mechanist cheered as the leather fell and exploded in a wave of slime. The slime washed away most of the infantry, and the rest fell as Sokka dropped three more bags. However, the tanks continued to move. The tanks reached the next, much smaller cliff, and shot out their hooks to climb it.

"Oh no! That was the last one!" Sokka cried in desperation. He fell against the side of the basket and sighed, his head down.

"There has to be something else we can do!" Darya yelled, not willing to give up yet. "This temple will not fall again!"

"Wait a second," The mechanist interrupted, sniffing the air, "you smell that?"

Darya and Sokka sniffed.

"Ugh, it smells like rotten eggs." Darya said, her nose wrinkling up in disgust.

"Rotten eggs!" Sokka cheered, getting up and looking out of the basket.

"Uh, what is so great about rotten eggs all of a sudden?" Darya asked, confused at the happy behavior.

"There!" Sokka said, pointing at a large crack in the cliff below them. "There's natural gas under the mountain and it's been leaking. We put rotten eggs in a place we know the gas is coming from in order to find leaks later! That's where the gas is escaping!"

Sokka's face suddenly grew serious and fell still. Darya watched him, knowing he was coming up with a plan. Suddenly, Sokka turned around and began unlatching the coal-burning plant at the center of the balloon.

"Sokka, what on earth are you doing?" Darya asked, worried that Sokka may have lost it.

"What are you doing!? That's our fuel source!" The mechanist cried out.

"It's the only bomb we've got." Sokka said seriously, turning to look at the two. Darya looked skeptical, but she decided to trust Sokka.

"Ok." She said, and she began to help him push the coal plant off the side of the balloon. The coal plant fell into the crack and after only a few seconds, the side of the temple erupted in a series of huge explosions. Heat and smoke billowed off the mountain and buffeted the members in the basket of the balloon. The balloon began to fall fast now that it didn't have any air in it. Darya spun her glider in a circle and used her heated air to slow the balloons fall. However, it became apparent that she would not have the stamina to keep up the air needed to keep the balloon aloft.

"Hold onto me!" Darya yelled at Sokka and Teo's dad. They ran at her and held onto her waist tightly as she opened her glider and took to the air. They left the balloon to fall into the clouds. Darya looked around and as the smoke cleared, the temple sat untouched while the sides were clear of any Fire Nation soldiers or tanks. Darya's mouth stretched wide into a brilliant smile, and she sped up so that she could land quickly and see Aang.

She landed ungracefully in the main courtyard, unused to the weight of two other people on her. She stumbled and used her glider to keep herself upright. She looked up and saw Aang, Katara, and Teo running towards them. Aang tackled Darya while Katara wrapped her arms around Sokka.

"That was amazing! You guys did it!" Aang cheered, looking up at Darya with shining eyes.

"Eh, it wasn't that hard." Sokka said, feigning nonchalance. Darya elbowed him and chuckled at his offended look. He huffed and crossed his arms, looking away from her. Darya shook her head and turned back to Aang.

They walked over to a small stone bench and Katara sat down next to a few of the zebra hermit crabs. Darya moved to crouch and peer at the crabs as they scuttled between the two humans.

"You know what?" Aang said, turning from the crabs to look at Teo. "I'm really glad you guys all live here now. It's like the hermit crab, maybe you weren't born here, but you found this empty shell and made it your home. And now you protect each other."

Darya smiled at Aang as he picked up one of the hermit crabs. She would always see him as a little kid trying to get into trouble, but there were a few moments where she saw him as the Avatar. This was one of those moments. She watched as his warm brown eyes took on an elderly quality that reminded her of the many incarnations that lay within him.

"That means a lot coming from you." Teo said, softly.

"Aang, you were right about air power." Sokka said, pointing to the sky. "As long as we've got the skies we'll have the Fire Nation on the run!"


	13. The Waterbending Master

_This chapter will be a little shorter than the last, and will jump around a bit. It's not that I don't like this chapter, I just want to get everything set up for the invasion that's coming next._

 **Chapter 11 -The Waterbending Master**

Water. Endless water.

Darya was going crazy as she watched yet another iceberg roll past them. They have been flying for days and the tension on the sky bison was reaching an all-time high. Darya had taken to hanging out of the saddle and trying to touch the giant ice as they passed it. The sky was cloudless and crisp. The northern air was cold and sharp, but at least it was refreshing. Darya had stopped shaking a day ago once she had finally gotten used to the cold. Like most people of the Fire Nation, she was not happy to be cold, but her Air Nomad blood helped take off the edge of it.

Currently, Darya was leaning over the back of Appa, watching the water ripple only a few feet below them. Sokka came up behind her and flopped over the saddle, matching her position.

"I'm not one to complain," Sokka started, ignoring Darya's bark of laughter. "But can't Appa fly any higher?"

Darya rolled her eyes and decided to ignore him. They had gotten into too many fights while soaring over the endless ice fields already.

"I have an idea, why don't we all get on your back and you can fly us to the North Pole!" Aang said angrily from Appa's head.

"I'd love to! Climb on everyone, Sokka's ready for takeoff!" Darya giggled as Momo jumped on Sokka. Sokka glared at her over Momo before turning around and sitting with a huff of annoyance.

"Look, we're all just a little tired and cranky because we've been flying for two days straight." Katara said, trying to keep the peace.

"And for what? We can't even find the Northern Water Tribe. There's nothing up here." Sokka snapped back.

Suddenly, a noise like crashing ice sounded just in front of them and Appa roared in panic. Huge chunks of ice were rapidly closing in on them, and they all sprang into action. Aang yelled and pulled on Appa's reins. Appa avoided the ice, but in doing so Darya, Katara, and Sokka were all thrown out of the saddle. They all held on for dear life as Appa continued to maneuver around the attacking ice. A wave of ice slammed into Appa, knocking him into the water where more ice quickly surrounded him, stopping him completely.

"They're waterbenders!" Katara shouted in joy. "We found the Water Tribe!"

* * *

They had been swimming for nearly half an hour when an ice wall appeared in the distance. It's size and power left Darya breathless.

"There it is!" Aang crowed with joy.

"The Northern Water Tribe . . ." Katara whispered, clearly in awe as well.

"We're finally here . . ." Sokka, said, a similar tone in his voice.

"It's beautiful." Darya whispered.

Darya watched as several waterbenders on the boats stood up in unison. Together they moved to waterbend a small opening in the wall. Their boats coasted through it with Appa bringing in the rear. They travelled along the river that cut through the huge city, admiring the tall towers and buildings made of ice. Darya shivered at the thought of living in ice forever. _I'll need to keep my bending to minimum or I'll melt the city!_ She thought with a laugh.

They were all beaming as they watched waterbenders work and some people ride strange looking beasts that were stocky and had huge horns.

"I can't believe how many waterbenders live up here!" Katara exclaimed, and Darya couldn't help but agree. Before the war, she had seen a few waterbenders, but she didn't know they had such huge cities.

"We'll find a master to teach us, no problem!" Aang cheered, sharing a smile with Katara.

* * *

Drums and strings faded into the cool night air. Zuko's ship lay under a sliver of the moon, tied gently at a dock. Lieutenant Jee strummed a simple tune while several other crew members beat lazily on the drums. Iroh stood among them singing softly.

"Winter, spring, summer, and fall. Winter, spring, summer, and fall. Four seasons. Four loves. Four seasons, four loves." Several of the crew danced around a fire as Iroh's voice trailed off. The music suddenly stopped, and Iroh looked around to see Admiral Zhao along with several Fire Nation soldiers standing on the ship.

* * *

Darya was not one for large parties with crowds of people. Ever since the incident with the Fire Days Festival, she was even more nervous around large crowds. However, at the moment, she was deep in conversation with one of the Water Tribe war statisticians. She knew that not only was she beyond sober, but so was the older gentleman she was talking to. They were arguing about the best ways to combat a Fire Nation soldier and it was getting heated.

"No!" Darya shouted, hardly cutting through the music and laughter. "You're an idiot! Getting close will only get you burned."

"But they don't fight well up close, so it would be worth the risk. You could defeat him quick up close." The statistician slurred, gesturing with a wine glass that was overflowing. Darya took a deep swig from hers before continuing.

"Yeah but _I_ don't bend well up close either, so that would be stupid of _me_."

"Then that shows that waterbending is superior to airbending. We can fight close or from afar."

"What?" Darya sputtered. "You really think waterbending is better than airbending?"

"Anything is better than airbending!" The statistician roared, his cheeks rosy.

"You really are an idiot!" Darya roared back.

They both glared at each other before drunkenly laughing and wrapping an arm around each other.

"This is the most fun I've had in years!" Darya chuckled, taking another sip of wine.

"I agree. I've been stuck in war meetings for years with the Chief going on and on about the Fire Nation. If they show their faces around here, you'll blow them all away!" The statistician clapped Darya so hard on the back she fell forward, her wine spilling all over the icy floor.

"You idiot!" She yelled as the waterbender just laughed.

* * *

Zuko was thinking in his room again. He had taken to thinking and sulking in his room since Darya had left, and he saw no reason to break that pattern. They had no leads on the Avatar, and the crew were happy about that, they were tired of sailing. Zuko himself felt worn out, and his passion to capture the Avatar was slipping.

The door to his room creaked open, and he glanced over to see his uncle standing in the doorway, looking apprehensive.

"For the last time, I'm not playing the sumki horn." Zuko sighed, annoyed at his uncle's persistence.

"No, it's about our plans. There's a bit of a problem." Iroh said, stepping into the room.

"I'm taking your crew." The voice of Zhao made Zuko shoot up from his bed. His golden eyes narrowed into a glare.

"What?!" Zuko snarled.

"I've recruited them for a little expedition to the North Pole." Zhao explained.

"Uncle, is that true?" Zuko asked, turning to face his uncle, praying it wasn't true.

"I'm afraid so. He's taking everyone." Iroh said, putting his arm over his face in sorrow. "Even the cook!"

"Sorry you won't be there to watch me capture the Avatar. But I can't have you getting in my way again." Zhao snarled in warning. Zuko had enough and lunged at the admiral, but Iroh stopped him from hurting Zhao. Zhao walked around him, deeper into the room. He spotted Zuko's broadswords and a peculiar look crossed his face. Zuko kept his mask of anger up, but inside he was a mess of worry. _What if Zhao figures out I'm the Blue Spirit?_

Zhao picked one up and twirled it around a few times. Zuko's worries grew.

"I didn't know you were skilled with broadswords, Prince Zuko." Zhao muttered dangerously.

"I'm not. They're antiques. Just decorative." Zuko growled, trying and failing to sound indifferent.

"Have you heard of the Blue Spirit, General Iroh?" Zhao asked, turning around and looking past Zuko.

"Just rumors. I don't think he is real." Iroh replied, realizing the tension in the room.

"He's real all right. He's a criminal, an enemy of the Fire Nation." Zhao handed the sword to Iroh, walking past the two firebenders and to the door. "But I have a feeling that justice will catch up with him soon. General Iroh, the offer to join my mission still stands if you change your mind."

With that, Zhao swept out of the room, leaving Zuko with a sick feeling in his stomach. Zhao knew about him. Somehow, the admiral had recognized the double swords that Zuko had used. He swallowed stiffly and looked at his uncle, who shared the same concerned look.

* * *

"My head is killing me!" Darya groaned as she walked with Katara and Aang. She had stayed up late the night before, partying with the waterbenders. She loved them! They were warriors, survivors, hunters. Mostly they knew how to throw a great party. She had ended up getting into hand-to-hand combat with another member of their war counsel, and he had told her to see him for training during their stay in the North Pole. However, when she woke up to the sound of waterfalls, calls of buffalo yak, and the chatter of the city, her headache told her she would _not_ be training that day.

"Go to the healers tent so you can do more than moan today then." Sokka huffed, annoyed with Darya's incessant groaning. Darya slapped him on the back of the head.

"Go find your girlfriend Sokka." Darya teased, reminding Sokka of the princess he was flirting with the night before. Sokka sputtered and his face grew bright red.

"But, I think I'll take your advice. I'm going to see if any healers can get rid of my headache. Good luck with bender training!" Darya waved to Aang and Katara before she trotted away, squinting in the bright northern sun.

* * *

Zuko was lying in bed once again, his thoughts drifting towards his endless banishment and how he would never see his home again. Now, even if he had a lead on the Avatar, he wouldn't have a crew to power the ship. He was disappointed in his crew, his father, his life. Nothing went his way. Even as a child, Azula had always been better at bending, his father had favored her, and his mother had abandoned him. Zuko sighed and continued to stew in his thoughts as Iroh entered his room.

"The crew wanted me to wish you safe travels." Iroh said, peaking around the door.

"Good riddance to those traitors." Zuko grumbled, turning around on his bed so his back was to Iroh. He could feel his uncle's face fall, and Zuko felt a stab of guilt that be brought misery to yet another person, but he just wanted to be alone.

"It's a lovely night for a walk. Why don't you join me?" Iroh asked, but Zuko remained silent. "Or, just stay in your room and sit in the dark. Whatever makes you happy."

Zuko heard the door click shut and he turned around so he lay on his back again. _Whatever makes me happy? Freedom would make me happy, my crown would make me happy, even_ she _would make me happy._ Zuko growled to himself. He had refused to even think of the airbender's name after she left with the Avatar. Zuko knew that she had a duty to the Avatar, but he had still felt pain when she had chosen the Avatar over himself.

 _She doesn't have these feelings, that's why she did it._ Zuko snarled to himself, digging himself deeper into his gloom. He thought that maybe there was something there from the blushes that would cover her face or the fact that she had kissed him back. But, he must have been wrong. She hated him, that was the only explanation for the cold look on her face the morning after the kiss. But then she had made him laugh while they were riding the shirshu. He could tell she had pulled her punches during their battle as well. He decided he had no idea what she felt, and that was almost worse. It meant she could either have feelings for him, or she could hate his guts. He just wanted to know!

Zuko sighed and curled into a ball, he hated feeling unsure, and that was all he felt lately. He wished he hated that airbender, but he just _couldn't._ She was everything he had wanted in a girl. She was powerful, courageous, strong, and beautiful. Not to mention she had wit. Zuko couldn't help comparing her the Mai, who was boring and lifeless. Zuko used to miss Mai, and now he couldn't help but question why he had ever dated her in the first place. There was certainly political pressure, but he had been hoping for a real connection. Naturally she had clung to Azula instead of him, however.

The loud noise of the ship's door opening roused Zuko from his thoughts. He shot up from his bed, surprised that his uncle was back so early. Zuko rose from his bed and shuffled to the door.

"Uncle?" He asked, stepping into the corridor. "Uncle, is that you?"

There was no response, so he moved into a bending stance and leapt into the hallway, turning both ways before making his way to the bridge. He went slowly, keeping his steps light and silent. There was no one in the bridge either.

He was about to relax when the squawk of the pirate's lizard parrot sounded. He looked at it and realized what that meant. _NO!_ But it was too late.

An explosion ripped through the ship, sending Zuko flying. He used his bending to create a whirlwind of fire around him, none of it touching him. However, he couldn't stop the shrapnel that pelted him through the flames. As he crashed into the water, he could feel the many cuts on his face and body sting from the salt. He cried out, only to swallow a mouthful of water. He rose to the surface and coughed it up.

Looking around, he saw nothing but fire and destruction. His boat was ripped into shreds, sinking quickly into the inky black of the ocean.

Zuko turned and swam slowly away from the dock and towards the dark beach. He knew who had attempted to assassinate him, and he would make them pay.

* * *

"How's warrior training going?" Darya asked a clearly moping Sokka. He was pacing, and after she asked this, he kicked one of their bags to the floor. He fell down with a huff and flopped down on the ground.

"That bad?" Aang asked, cringing slightly.

"No, it's Princess Yue. I don't get it. One minute she wants to go out with me and the next she's telling me to get lost! So, how's waterbending training?" Sokka asked, clearly not wanting to talk about Princess Yue after their failed date.

"Master Poophead won't teach her because she's a girl." Aang complained while Katara flopped onto her sleeping bag, mimicking her brother.

"Why don't you just teacher her, Aang?" Sokka suggested. Darya nodded, agreeing that it was an easy solution.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Katara exclaimed, sitting up and looking at Aang with shinning eyes. "At night, you can teach whatever moves you learned from Master Pakku. That way you have someone to practice with and I get to learn waterbending. Everyone's happy!"

"I'm not happy." Sokka grumbled.

"But you're never happy." Darya laughed, smiling at him.

"Come on, Aang!" Katara said, dragging Aang away. Darya smiled at their antics as they walked away. She loved their adventures and she loved being with them, yet she felt something bad was happening. Something sinister, something far away, but something that would affect them. She pushed it to the back of her mind, hoping it was just part of the aftermath of her drinking the night before.

* * *

Zuko paced down the hall of the ship for the third time. His uncle was supposed to be out of his meeting by now, so it must have been running late. Finally, he saw Iroh turn down the opposite end of the hall. Zuko walked slowly, not wanting to raise any suspicions. The fact that he had managed to sneak onto the ship in the first place was a miracle.

"Our plan is working perfectly. Zhao doesn't suspect a thing." Iroh said quietly when they reached each other.

"You didn't have to do this." Zuko whispered, pulling the mask off to speak. The many cuts and bruises that adorned his face hurt as the ceramic mask slipped over them.

"No nephew of mine is going to stow away on a ship without some backup!" Iroh said, encouragingly.

"Thank you, Uncle." Zuko said, putting an unusual amount of emotion in his voice. After his near-death experience, he decided that he needed to be more compassionate towards the one man who had always been there for him. The only family that seemed to care.

"Someone's coming!" Iroh said as a noise drifted down the hallway. Zuko put his mask back on. "Stay hidden until we get to the North Pole and the Avatar will be yours! Good luck!"

Zuko walked away as another Fire Nation soldier turned down the hallway. Underneath the mask, Zuko was grinning like a fox. This plan was much subtler that his usual plans, and it felt good to know he was using Zhao to get to the Avatar. He would capture the Avatar, and his stomach filled with excitement at the prospect of returning home. However, it was not the pure happiness he was hoping for. He knew that when he took the Avatar, Darya would fight him, and he really didn't want to face her in battle again. It had been torture fighting her in the abbey, and he wasn't sure what he would do if he had to repeat that experience. Zuko had recognized, as he was swimming for his life, that he couldn't fight his feelings for her. She was amazing, and Zuko prayed that one day they would be able to overcome their cultural barriers and be together. He was determined to make that happen.

* * *

"Katara, that was AMAZING!" Darya said, flinging her arms around the waterbender. Master Pakku had agreed to teach Katara after finding out that she was the granddaughter of his former love, and that she could fight like any warrior. Darya knew that Katara could fight, but during her absence the girl must have been practicing a lot, because Darya was thoroughly impressed.

"Darya, I can't breathe!" Katara gasped. Darya loosened her hold and stepped back. "But thanks, I can't believe he finally said yes!"

"You had better learn quickly, because we are going to be sparing from now on. If I had known you could fight like that, we would've been practicing a lot more!" Darya was ecstatic. She had been practicing with a few of the other warriors, but she had beaten all of them. Now she wanted someone new to practice with.

"Let me learn to fight first!" Katara laughed.

* * *

Admiral Zhao stood on the upper deck of his ship, looking out over the dozens of Fire Navy ships ready for battle.

"My fleet is ready. Set a course for the Norther Water Tribe."


	14. Siege of the North (Part 1)

_A/N: Alright I'm back in business! Here's the beginning of the end of book 1! Because I was so mean, what with not posting in months, I feel like all of you who have followed/favorited/reviewed deserve a treat. So I will be posting part 2 of the Siege of the North either tonight or tomorrow morning, depending on when it's finished._

 _Just a heads up with this chapter and the next, it will be a bit darker that usual. While the cartoon was designed for kids, this story is designed to be a more mature telling of the series. So don't worry about any disturbing gore, but there will be minor gore/death involved._

 _As always please enjoy and review!_

 _-62MoonParade_

 **Chapter 12 – Siege of the North (Pt 1)**

Darya was sitting on a bench and watching as Katara trained with the waterbenders while Aang goofed off nearby. She shook her head, exasperated at his lack of attention. She had known Aang since he was a baby, and she knew this was how he trained. It was not very efficient, nor was it great for battle, but he had mastered airbending before anyone else in his class, even before most of _her_ class.

Master Pakku was not happy with him though, and that was clear when he told Aang to show his skills at waterbending. To Darya's horror, he spun the snow into a snowman while Momo leapt around him. Darya grimaced at the horror on Master Pakku's face as he called for an end to the lesson. Darya shook her head in exasperation and rose from her seat. Snow crunched under her feet as she stood and stretched her arms in the air, debating whether to train herself or continue being lazy.

As they stood around practicing for a few more minutes, Darya noticed snow start to fall. She looked up into the sky and noticed the beauty of it, when she realized something was slightly off about the snow. It was black, and snow was definitely not black. Flashbacks of the monks rushing around in fear, children crying, and bison roaring washed over her. This was not snow, it was soot.

Fear struck at her heart, because she knew exactly what created soot out of nowhere.

"Aang!" She sprung up from her place on a chunk of ice to race over to Aang. He was rolling around in the snow while Momo chattered at him, oblivious to the falling soot. Darya punched a fist down and sent air underneath Aang, propelling him upwards and onto his feet. She grabbed his hand and began pulling him away.

"Darya what's going on?" Aang demanded as he struggled to pull his hand out of Darya's fierce grip. Darya spun around and pointed to the sky.

" _That_ is the problem, Aang. That's soot, not snow. You weren't there when the Fire Nation attacked, but the sky was choked with it." Darya snarled, turning to Katara who had followed them. "I'm sure Katara could say the same."

Katara only nodded, fear and determination battling on her face. Darya let out a growl as she felt the black dust coat her golden hair, turning it brown.

"We need to leave, and now. The Fire Nation are still some ways off, we can be on our way before they get here." She turned around again, but this time Aang shook free of her grip. She spun around and looked at him with her brow furrowed.

"We can't just leave. What about the Northern Water Tribe?" Aang said, his tone was hard and determined. Darya felt her pride in him grow, but her concern for his safety did not leave.

"Aang, this will be like Kyoshi all over again, except we have an army breathing down our neck instead of Zuko." Darya pleaded. _Of all times for him to become the Avatar,_ she thought in exasperation. She would've rolled her eyes if the situation wasn't more serious.

"That's exactly why I can't leave! I ran away because I was scared, I'm not running away anymore!" Aang yelled, his voice hard and strong. Darya sighed, impressed and a little frightened at his determination.

"Alright, then we fight, but you aren't leaving my sight for a second." Darya grumbled. Aang nodded his head and lead the way to the great hall.

* * *

"The day we have feared for so long has arrived. The Fire Nation is on our doorstep." Chief Arnook spoke gravely, his voice carrying across the icy hall. Darya sat against one of the large ice totems with Katara, Aang, and a very unhappy Sokka. When he had appeared, she had asked him where he had been, but only a grumbled "nowhere" was his answer. Darya could hear the Chief's voice, but she wasn't paying attention to what he was saying. She was preparing herself mentally for the fight to come. She was not happy that they were staying to fight, but part of her relished in the chance to face the Fire Nation once more. She would _not_ let them commit genocide again.

"Count me in." Sokka exclaimed, jumping to his feet and startling Darya out of her thoughts. She looked at him in confusion, not hearing what the Chief had said.

"Sokka!" Katara cried out. Clearly whatever he was agreeing to was not a good idea. However, none of them stopped him as he moved to the front of the hall to stand with a group of other young warriors.

"Be warned, many of you will not return. Come forward to receive my mark if you accept the task." The Chief continued. Darya watched as her best friend received the Chief's mark. Her eyes narrowed into slits. He was making it difficult for her to protect him. Sokka looked up and met her eyes. She could see the sadness within them and she felt like she understood him, she felt the same sadness in her own heart. She relaxed her face and gave him a nod which he returned.

The men moved into the back of the hall while the Chief and the rest of the villagers began to file out of the hall. Darya needed some space to think out her plan of attack and how best to protect Aang in the chaos to come. She twirled open her glider and perched on the edge of the hall roof, her silhouette taking on an aviary shape. Below her, Aang crouched on a short pillar and looked out over the city.

"The stillness before battle is unbearable. Such a quite dread." Chief Arnook said as he stood next to Aang, observing his city and the soot still falling on it.

"I wasn't there when the Fire Nation attacked my people." Aang looked behind him at Darya who was watching him closely. "I'm gonna make a difference this time."

Darya nodded slowly to him. It seemed the fire of battle was in everyone now. However, she knew that he had never actually experienced true war before. Their skirmishes with Zuko and Zhao were nothing compared to what was lurking in the horizon.

"Aang, I would like your help with the wall defense." Arnook said, drawing their attention back to him. "And you as well Darya. I believe that your airbending can be used to take out any catapults the Fire Nation will be using.

"That sounds like a good idea. We've had a little experience with the Fire Navy already. But Aang, organization goes out the door in a battle, just remember to stay alert at all times." Darya said, wanting him to understand but knowing he wouldn't until the battle actually started. Aang nodded and twirled open his glider. Before he took off he looked back at Katara.

"Are you coming?" Aang asked, motioning to himself. Darya was surprised by his rather bold move. She knew that her little brother had a crush on Katara, but she figured he was a little too shy to do anything about it. It appeared the prospect of battle had given him some courage. Katara blushed and stepped up and wrapped her arms around his waist. Darya smirked as she saw them both avoid each others eyes while blushing profusely. Aang took off into the air, heading for the wall.

Darya chuckled and took off after them, her swords glinting as they were jostled in the wind. She flew quickly up to the great wall that guarded the city and landed near Aang. Appa, seemed to have known they would be there, because he greeted them with a roar. Darya scratched his head as Aang hopped into the saddle.

Darya sat down, leaning against one of Appa's legs and sighed. Now the only thing to do was to wait.

* * *

"Darya" Aang's voice was short and clipped, full of tension. Darya shot up and leapt into the saddle next to him.

"What is it?" she asked, scanning the horizon. In the far distance a dark ship was closing in fast. Her heart stopped and she felt butterflies whirl in her stomach. The battle was about to begin.

"I see it." She whispered. Suddenly the ship glowed bring orange and a massive fireball whistled towards them.

"Brace yourselves!" one of the warriors yelled. The fireball collided into the wall, caused a massive hole to form and many warriors to be knocked into the city below. Ice and snow covered the ground and Darya fought off horror as she saw it turn pink. She forced herself to turn away and look back and the approaching ship. Anger swelled and bubbled within her and she reached out and held onto it. Thoughts of Jeong Jeong filled her head. _He told me to harness this power, time to put it to use._

With a cry she leapt into the air, her glider spiraling open in a rush of wind. Appa roared next to her and she saw Aang crouched on his head. Appa quickly outpaced her and she watched as Aang successfully diverted another fireball. She felt pride swell into her chest and she felt her confidence in him grow.

Darya saw Appa invert himself and Aang flew to the ship below. Darya followed close behind and landed with him on the ship. The soldiers on the ship looked on as she used her air to push them aside. She concentrated hard and formed a ball of steaming air in her hands. If it wasn't her own bending she would've surely burned herself. The air shimmered with heat as she released it onto one of the catapults. A hiss and whine of contorting medal filled the air as the finer pieces of iron warped under the heat, rendering it useless.

Darya let out a breath and turned to another catapult. It seemed that Aang had left only one as he danced around a soldier wielding odd looking hammers. Darya trusted him to take care of himself for a moment as she sent a narrow rush of air at the bolts keeping the catapult to together.

"Faster." she muttered to herself as one by one the bolts were blasted away. Finally, the catapult groaned and collapsed under its own weight and fell in a heap. Darya grinned a feral smile of triumph and leapt into the air once more. The boat rose beneath her as waterbenders suspended it in ice. She perched on the top of the flagpole to catch her breath when she felt her racing heart stop. In front of her lay at least a hundred Fire Navy ships, all belching ash into the air.

* * *

Darya was exhausted. For the past few hours she and Aang had taken out a dozen ships each, but there were still too many. Her battle fire was still lit, but her limbs were heavy and her brain was muddled. She watched as more fireballs whipped past her and slammed into the city behind her. She shot a burst of air at one and diverted it, but there were five more to take its place. After a few more volleys, the sun began to set and the Fire Nation pulled back. Darya sighed in relief and looked for Aang.

"Darya, we need to go back. Appa can barely fly and you're slowing down." Aang called to her. She circled over to him so she could fly next to Appa. Despite how much she wanted to collapse on his saddle, she knew he would be too tired to carry both of them.

"Let's go." She said, not able to argue with him. They flew as fast as their weary bodies could until they were behind the safety of the walls. They saw Yue and Katara near the great hall, both looking anxious. Darya lead Appa over to them and they both landed heavily. Appa collapsed onto his belly and groaned. Aang slid off him and onto the cold ground. Darya leaned on her staff and tried to keep her eyes open, she was so tired.

"I can't do it." Aang said, despondent. "I can't do it." Darya looked over at him as he crouched down and let his face fall into his hands. They hadn't had a chance to talk to each other on the battlefield, but seeing as it was his first time witnessing carnage on this scale, she knew he would be emotionally drained as well.

"You ok?" She asked him, wanting to comfort him but too tired to move.

"I don't know." Aang muttered, looking up at Darya with heavy eyes. Not for the first time she felt he was too young to deal with such burdens. They all were. "It'll get better" was all she could say to him.

"What happened?" Katara asked, running over and putting a hand on Aang's back, trying to comfort him.

"Darya and I had to have taken out at least two dozen ships, but there's just too many of them. We can't fight them all." Aang looked up at Katara as she continued to rub his back gently. Darya turned away. Her emotions had vanished after the first few ships. All she could think about was destruction, and her rage had fueled it. She felt it even now while there was a shred of calm. Despite her tired limbs, she still wished to fight. _When did I become a warrior?_ She thought. The monks would surely have thrown her out of the temple had they seen her today. They had already been nervous about her Fire Nation heritage. Her lack of emotion would have been the last straw for them. She felt a piece of her chip away at how she was somewhere in between an airbender and a firebender. She shook her head, _now is not the time to be thinking like that!_

She wandered away from her friends for a moment and found herself inside the great hall. A fire was roaring in the center and there were several concerned families dotted around it. She wandered over to a quiet corner to sit for a moment and rest, needing to close her eyes for just a moment. Almost immediately she was asleep.

* * *

"Darya wake up."

Someone was shaking her awake and she swatted them away with a sore arm. Her muscles screamed in protest and the pain caused her to groan awake. She blinked slowly and noticed immediately that the sun and fully set. The moon must have been bright because she could clearly see Katara standing above her.

"Wassup?" Darya slurred, sleep still holding onto her. She shook her head to clear it and felt the world come into focus. Katara was giggling, obviously entertained by her friend's sleepiness.

"I don't think I've ever seen someone have to wake you up before. You're always doing your morning stretches before any of us are awake." Katara laughed quietly. Darya laughed with her, but she was so sore that she quickly stopped.

"I'm sorry that I had to wake you up, but Yue said there's a portal to the Spirit World here, or something like that at least. You want to come with?" Katara asked, falling serious.

"Of course! Let's go." Darya said, rising slowly so as not to anger her muscles even more. She used her staff for support as she followed Katara, Yue, and Aang behind the great hall. As they walk, Darya tried to straighten out her wild hair. It was still tangled from so much flying and then sleeping on a hard floor, not to mention the ash that was still in it. She growled to herself as she battled with a particularly difficult knot. Katara fell into step with her a giggled at her friend's antics.

"Need help?" Katara asked, a smile plastering her face.

"Gah!" Darya said, throwing her hands in the air in defeat. "Yes, please!"

Katara used her waterbending to melt some of the snow and slowly moved it around Darya's head.

"That's cold!" Darya yelled, grimacing.

"Stop complaining. You're hair's a mess Darya." Katara said firmly, and Darya fell silent and tried to ignore her head becoming numb.

"Almost there." Katara said, removing the water from Darya's hair. "All done! Clean and untangled!"

Darya ran a hand through her soaking wet hair and couldn't find a single knot. She conjured a fistful of hot air and used it to form a small tornado around her hair. Within seconds it was dry and lying in golden waves on her shoulders.

"Thanks Katara, I was feeling pretty gross after that battle." Darya said, smiling. Katara returned the smile and then fell into a fit of laughter.

"Aang hasn't bathed either and he smells terrible, part of me wants to just splash him with some water." Darya laughed at the idea, causing Yue and Aang to look at the two girls curiously.

"What?" Aang huffed.

"Nothing!" Darya and Katara said in unison with their hands in front of them.

"Here." Yue said, interrupting the two giggling girls.

They had arrived at an ice wall with a small round door carved into the middle of it. _How in Agni are we supposed to fit through that?_ She thought as Yue opened the door.

"So is this the way to the Spirit World?" Aang asked, looking slightly confused.

"No, you'll have to get there on your own." Yue giggled as she motioned for Aang to go in. "But I can take you to the most spiritual place in the entire North Pole."

Darya stepped through the door after Aang and her jaw dropped open. A long pool of water stretched before them and ended in a small grassy oasis. The temperature immediately rose, to Darya's relief, and she followed Aang to the oasis. Upon closer inspection, she could see a small pool in the middle of the grass with a large stone gate behind it covered in flowers.

"I never thought I'd miss grass this much!" Aang said as he rolled around in the rich green foliage. Darya laughed at his childish behavior and was glad to see that the earlier bloodshed wasn't affecting him too much.

"It's so warm here! How is that possible?" Katara asked, taking off her thick fur overcoat. Darya, who had no such protection in her airbending outfit, finally felt comfortable. She stretched her arms up slowly and heard her joints creak. Once she felt her muscles loosen up, she shook out her body and rolled her head around. When she looked up again, the other three were looking at her strangely.

"What?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You just looked really weird." Aang said and he began to laugh. The others joined in as Darya rolled her eyes.

"Fine, no more stretching. Now let's get down to business." Darya smiled and leaned over the smaller pool. Two koi fish were circling around each other. One was all black with a small white spot on its head while the other was the exact opposite.

"They're beautiful." She whispered to herself, suddenly feeling very calm.

Aang sat down on the warm grass and fell into a meditation pose. Darya joined the younger girls as they watched over Aang. His breathing was evening out but he was still in the earthly world.

"Why is he sitting like that?" Yue whispered to her and Katara.

"He's meditating. Trying to cross into the Spirit World. It takes all his concentration." Katara whispered back.

"Is there any way we can help?" Yue asked.

"We can always annoy him so he wants to get to the Spirit World more." Darya joked. The girls giggled quietly to themselves, or so they thought.

"How about some quiet!?" Aang snapped, spinning around. "C'mon guys, I can hear every word you're saying!"

The girls looked at each other and giggled once more before Darya decided to be the mature one.

"Alright, I'll go fly around and see how the city's looking. I'll be back in a bit." She said, spinning open her glider. She took off into the air and soared around the city in big loops.

* * *

Zuko rowed slowly in order to avoid making too much noise. He had already almost been spotted by a guard and he didn't want to deal with that. He felt trapped between a rock and a hard place as the Water Tribe loomed ahead and Zhao spat fire at his back. His felt worried for his uncle, perhaps for the first time. He had always viewed his uncle as a guiding figure and he looked up to him greatly, despite his temper. However, to hear that Iroh thought of him as a son was almost more than he could bare. Why couldn't his _own_ father be like that? It felt unfair that he should have an absent father and Iroh should lose his son. He had always liked his cousin, even if they were spread apart in age.

Zuko tried to clear his head of anymore thoughts and turned to concentrating on his task ahead. He succeeded for only a few moments when the object of so many of his thoughts suddenly burst into the moonlight. She streaked out of the sky like a golden comet and Zuko cursed his bad luck. However, he quickly noticed she wasn't coming after him. He looked off to his left to see a small boat filled with Fire Nation soldiers. _They were trying to lay a sneak attack, but she's too clever for that._ He felt himself smile, but then he realized he shouldn't be happy she had ruined some plans of the Fire Nation, he should be angry!

His thoughts were put on pause as he watched her unleash a roar of air that rocked the boat, sending several soldiers into the water. They had several firebenders on board who began shooting fire at her. With grace and agility that baffled him, Zuko watched as she twisted in the air, her glider becoming a weapon. She dodged, parried, and attacked all in the same movement. It was like watching a storm come down over the mountains, and soon the boat was shattered and its cargo underwater. He watched, _desperate_ she wouldn't see him from his hiding spot behind one of the many icebergs. She landed on another iceberg not far away and collapsed in a heap, clearly exhausted.

"Damn it!" She cried out and she slammed a fist into the ice, causing part of it to melt under the hot air. She rose slowly, leaning heavily on her glider. It looked like she was taking several deep breaths before she took to the air again. Her take off was a little wobbly, but she eventually straightened herself out.

Zuko waited until her silhouette was gone before he began paddling again. He had seen her fight, but she had never hurt anyone. And yet, he had just witnessed her kill an entire boat full of soldiers. He had admired her, sure, but he had always thought she was rather soft. His image of her changed and he saw that she was much fiercer than he had originally imagined. As he paddled, he came across bits of the boat that had washed away in the current. He avoided looking in the water and seeing the faces of Fire Nation soldiers. Clearly the deaths of them had impacted her somewhat as he had never seen her crack like she had. He understood why she had killed them, if he were in her position he would've done the same thing, but it still shocked him to see her maneuver through their attacks.

It was clear to him now that she had always been pulling her punches. Once more he felt the urge to remain hidden from her, because he had no idea how she would react to him, seeing as their last meeting had ended in her leaving him paralyzed and covered in perfume. He had replayed that moment over and over and decided to take her advice. Instead of running into the Water Tribe fire blazing, he was being stealthy and smart. He wanted to hear what she thought of his plan, but seeing as it revolved around kidnapping her so called "little brother" that wouldn't end well. He smirked to himself as he imagined her yelling at him. As he got off the boat and tried to find a way into the Water Tribe, he knew he needed to avoid her at all costs, but he still couldn't help the tug on his heart that called out to her.

* * *

Darya was cursing herself as she wheeled above the city. She had wanted a relaxing flight and had ended up killing a dozen men. Yes, they were Fire Nation soldiers and yes, they were probably going to ambush the city at night or do something awful that would lead to more death, but she hated herself at the same time. And yet she was cursing herself because she didn't feel as bad as she should. She thought she should be in tears or depressed or going crazy, at least something! Instead she felt…normal. Or at least normal for being in a war zone. Maybe it was the battle that had happened earlier. She had sunk several ships herself, probably killing some soldiers then, but she hadn't _seen_ them die. Granted she hadn't seen the men in the boat die either, but they certainly didn't resurface. Even if they did, they would die from the cold. _Maybe it's the Fire Nation blood in me. Maybe there_ is _something wrong with me._

She continued her circular path as the sun began to peak over the horizon. She knew that with the sun's rise there would be more fighting. In fact, she could see several ships start to shift in the water as if they were creeping forward. Still, the deaths of those soldiers remained with her, bothering her as if she had stepped on a piece of glass. She growled and continued to watch the ships, wanting to get her aggression out on something. _There's definitely something wrong with me._

As she made another pass over the great hall, a small explosion shot a flare of fire into the sky.

"Agni what now!?" Darya shouted as she spun around and shot towards the flame like a bullet. As she entered the clearing, she could only see Katara on the ground, unconscious.

"Katara, Katara wake up." Darya said as she tried to shake her friend awake. "Damn it, where's Aang?"

Darya twirled around when it was clear Katara wasn't coming back to the world for some time. She stalked around the clearing, trying to find traces of what happened to Aang. She saw burn marks on the stone surrounding the oasis and her stomach dropped. Somehow, Fire Nation soldiers had gotten past her and taken Aang. She could see evidence of Katara's fight as well. Water and ice covered most of the grass. _It seems she put up a fight._

"Darya, what happened?!" The sound of Sokka's desperate shout caught Darya's attention. She saw him leap off of the landing Appa while Yue climbed down gracefully.

"I don't know, I left to give Aang some peace to concentrate." Darya said, guilt beginning to gnaw at her belly. If she hadn't left, Aang might still be here.

"Aang!" Katara's startled shout drew their attention. Sokka rushed over to his sister and helped her stand up.

"What happened? Where's Zuko?" He asked her softly. Darya felt her anger spike.

"Zuko was here?!" She snarled. The other three teens eyes widened at Darya's tone. They had heard her angry, but this was another level of anger. Steam was rolling off of her lightly and they couldn't help but take a step back from the fuming airbender. Darya paced, too angry to stand still. _I swear I'll kill him when I find him!_

"He, he took Aang. He took him right out from under me." Katara whispered sadly, her head hanging. Darya felt her anger begin to boil over.

"You WHAT?" She cried, her pacing becoming more frantic. The enemy had the Avatar. For all they knew Aang could be dead and the world was out of balance once more.

"Damn it!" Darya punched the icy wall in her anger, causing the ice to melt and sizzle under the heat of her air. "Agni!"

She continued to curse and stalk around the pool. Katara and Yue looked at Darya in fear, while Sokka took a step towards her.

"Darya calm down, we can't find Aang if your head is clouded." He said, his voice strong. He reached out and placed a hand on Darya's shoulder to get her to stop pacing. Her green eyes met his blue ones, and for a moment Sokka was afraid she would attack him. The usually calm emeralds were wild with a fierce fire. However, upon seeing Sokka, she felt herself calm somewhat.

"Sorry." She said, taking a deep breath and letting out a stream of air. The air was still hot and it caused steam to rise in the night air. A few snowflakes got caught in the stream and fell to the earth as rain.

"We need to find Aang, but where did they go?" Sokka said to her. Darya turned back to face him, worrying in her eyes as the snow began to fall heavier.

"I don't know." Was all she could say.


	15. Siege of the North (Part 2)

_A/N: Surprise! Here's the ending to book 1. I'm going to start focusing on the relationship Darya has with the other members of the Avatar group in the next few chapters. I feel like that needs to be fleshed out a bit more in order to prepare for some future events, especially now that Darya and Zuko's relationship is definitely developing. And then it'll be all the Zuko/Darya relationship building that is so much fun to write!_

 _-62MoonParade_

 **Siege of the North (Part 2)**

Darya was once more pacing around the pool, her nerves making her jump at each fireball that crashed into the walls. She wanted to do something, anything, but she knew that her priority was finding Aang. She continued to pace, trying to find any shred of evidence as to where Zuko had taken Aang. _Zuko_ , she snarled inwardly. _He's going to pay for this, and I won't hold back this time._

"I can't believe I lost him." Katara whispered, kneeling near the pool. Sokka was standing over her in a brotherly manner.

"You did everything you could and now we need to do everything we can to get him back." Sokka said, placing a gentle hand on his sister's head.

"Zuko can't have gotten far. We'll find him. Aang's gonna be fine." Sokka continued moving towards Yue. They began to prepare Appa for flight when Darya let out a squeal of triumph.

"Here, there's footprints leading away!" She cried out. Before the others could stop her, Darya shot into the air, flying low to the ground.

"Darya wait!" Sokka yelled. Katara rose and looked out to where her friend had disappeared.

"What is she doing, is she crazy? Last time she went on her own she nearly died in a storm." Katara yelled. As if the sky heard her, the light snowfall began to pick up, each flake falling was larger than the last.

"Come on, we need to follow her and find Aang." Sokka said, leaping onto Appa. The girls followed him quickly and they were soon in the air.

* * *

Darya cursed herself for the thousandth time that day. She had followed the footprints for half an hour before the snow became too heavy and the wind too rough. Flashbacks of her flight in the storm came back and she found herself laughing at her stupidity. _I need to stop flying after Aang_. She thought, although she knew she never would.

As the blizzard moved in more, the sun became dark and the land fell under shadow, making visibility even worse. Her limbs were numb with cold and her hands felt frozen to the wood of her glider. She knew that if she didn't find Aang soon, she would need to turn back, and if she did that he would be lost to her. So, she pushed on into the blizzard, hoping and praying that she would find some sign of Aang soon.

A light flared in the horizon to her left and she spun to face it. However, this sudden movement was caught up in the wind, and before Darya could bend out of it, she was caught and forced forwards into a snow drift. She lay panting in the snow, feeling it melt and soak into her robes. Her teeth began to chatter and her heart felt heavy. _It was just a mirage,_ she thought. She had hoped it was Zuko lighting a fire or maybe Aang using firebending to get away from him.

"I finally have you." A faint voice floated on the wind, causing Darya to open her eyes slowly.

"Great, the last thing my brain can do before freezing is making me hear Zuko." She grumbled to herself. She was feeling lightheaded and the snow was beginning to feel warm. She knew this wasn't a good sign, and on top of everything she was now hallucinating. It seemed death was at the door. She closed her eyes.

"There's . . . you . . . understand. You're like . . . lucky to be born." His voice continued to come and go on the wind. This made Darya open her eyes once more. If this was a hallucination, his voice wouldn't be flowing with the wind. She sat up slowly, her body not wanting to respond to her. She looked around, trying to find where the voice was coming from.

"I don't need luck though, I don't want it." His voice rang clear as the wind died for a moment and Darya froze in shock, his voice couldn't be coming from more than ten feet away. She looked around frantically, trying to see where he was, but all she saw was white. Then she realized that she wasn't standing on flat land. She was on a hill. _No,_ she thought, _a cave._

Quick as lightning she stood and scooped up her glider. She leapt off the rock and landed in a heap at the mouth of a small cave. It seemed her legs decided they didn't want to support her. She stood up slowly, using her glider for support. She looked up and found herself gazing into the golden eyes of Prince Zuko.

"What the-" Zuko started, clearly startled, but before he could do anything more, Darya sent a wave of air at him. Zuko stumbled back but didn't fall, Darya growled and lunged at him again, but the air only made him take another step back.

"Why isn't this working!" Darya screamed as another wave of air failed to do any damage. She growled and dropped her glider, instead choosing to use her swords if her bending wasn't working. As soon as her hand touched the frozen leather and metal she let out a squeak of pain.

"No, this isn't happening!" Darya raged, stomping her foot childishly. She was shaking both from the cold and from her anger. She looked up sharply when she heard a peal of laughter coming from the last person she would've expected. She looked at Zuko like he had grown an extra head as he continued to laugh. It seemed the expression on her face made him laugh even more.

"Something funny?" She spat, not in the mood to be laughed at. Zuko looked back at her and took a deep breath, stopping his laughter.

"How is it you always interfere with my plans?" Zuko said with a final chuckle.

" _That's_ what will make you laugh? There is _definitely_ something wrong with firebenders." Darya said, still incredibly confused. She took a step further into the cave when her lightheadedness turned to vertigo and she stumbled against the cave wall. Warm arms were around her in a flash and Darya felt her heart flutter, but she refused to acknowledge it.

"Get away from me." She snapped, an edge of pain in her voice. It was too much so see him here, and know that he was the one who stole Aang. The arms disappeared and she sent him stumbling away with another gust of air.

"Aang!" She said, looking around the cave, ignoring the concerned Zuko. _He had no right to be concerned. If he actually cared he wouldn't have stolen Aang._ She saw her little brother tied up with ropes at the end of the small cave. She hobbled over to him and sank until she could hold his head in her lap. His tattoos were still glowing, meaning he was still in the Spirit World. She sighed in relief. All she had to do was get him back home. She looked past Zuko and into the storm. There was no travelling until it passed. She sighed in defeat and leaned against the cold wall.

"Can you at least light a fire?" She snarled at Zuko as her teeth continued to chatter noisily. She was only in her airbending robes, and while she had been able to keep the cold away for a while, it was beginning to set in. She took in a deep breath and let out a stream of heated air onto her hands.

"That's a firebending move." Zuko stated as he watched her over a small fire he had managed to procure. Darya glared at him silently, willing herself to stay conscious. If she fainted she would probably end up tied up and left for dead. Not to mention that is she did live, the embarrassment of fainting in front of Zuko would surely kill her.

"Soooo…" Zuko rasped, looking around the cave awkwardly. Darya felt laughter begin to bubble, but she refused to let it come out. Somehow, in the middle of blizzard while the Fire Nation sacked the Water Tribe, she was sitting in a cave trying not to laugh at how awkward Zuko was. The same Zuko who had kidnapped the Avatar. _There is 100% no doubt, there is something wrong with me._

"What happened to your face?" Darya asked sharply, feeling curious and desperate for the tension in the cave to pass. She had noticed a cut on his nose earlier, but as she looked now, she could see several different cuts and bruises dotting his face.

"My ship blew up." Zuko replied, glad she was talking to him. He knew he couldn't be anything more than enemies with her, but her talk of speaking after the war was over was repeating in his brain as it had for the past few weeks.

Darya let out a bark of laughter that echoed across the cave walls. Zuko glared at her as she continued to laugh at his misfortune.

"And you said something is wrong with me…" He grumbled, although he felt his lips twitch. He fought it, not wanting to give into her any more than he already had. He thought about knocking her out and tying her up too, but he couldn't bear the thought of leaving her in such an inhospitable place.

"Whoever blew up your ship," Darya started, but fell to laughing again. "I ought to marry them."

"Well I hope you and Zhao have a happy marriage." Zuko growled, not liking where this conversation was going. Darya's laughter froze on her lips and her smile turned to a grimace and she imagined marriage to Zhao.

"He'd be dead by the end of day one." She smirked, laughing lightly at the thought. She felt her shivering intensify as a gust of wind blew into the cave. "Agni, this cold is getting to me."

A piece of cloth landed on her head, making Darya jump in shock. She pulled it off and glared at Zuko who was smiling slightly, failing to try and hide it behind a cough. She looked at the cloth in her hands and realized it was a shirt. A _warm_ shirt. She looked back at Zuko and noticed that his outer layer was missing. A blush crawled up her cheeks and she threw the shirt back at Zuko.

"There is _no way_ I'm putting that on!" She squealed. Zuko growled as the shirt landed in his lap. He threw it back at her, once more covering her head. She gave a huff of annoyance.

"Why do you have to fight over everything!" Zuko ordered, annoyed. Darya gave him a look.

" _I_ fight over everything? Did you say _I_ fight over everything?" She yelled in disbelief.

"Just put it on." Zuko ground out, feeling like stuffing the shirt down her throat to get her to be quiet. He was just trying to be nice. He swore inwardly when he realized he needed to stop being nice to her.

Darya huff again, but admitted to herself that she was almost frozen. She pulled the shirt over her head and even though it was short sleeved, it was big enough to give her ample warmth. She snuggled into it, enjoying the feeling of warmth return to her. The light scent of cinnamon and embers wafted up to her and her blush returned.

"So," She coughed, trying to get rid of her blush. "How are you here if your boat is gone?"

"I, uh," Zuko stuttered, finding his thoughts. "I snuck onto Zhao's ship and disguised myself as a soldier. He thinks I'm dead. I stole a boat and snuck into the Water Tribe. You know, you almost saw me last night."

Darya felt her eyebrows shoot up. "Wait wait wait, hold on, two things. One, why does Zhao want you dead? Killing the Fire Lord's son doesn't seem very clever. And two, what do you mean you saw me last night?"

"I think I know why but I'm not sure." Darya rolled her eyes at his very vague answer. "And I saw you attack that ship."

Darya looked away, ashamed at herself. "They would've killed innocent people if I hadn't stopped them."

"Probably." Was the only thing Zuko said. He didn't blame her, but he knew that he should still feel loyalty to the Fire Nation first. However, he was still torn between agreeing with her that the Fire Nation was killing innocent people, and that those men were his subjects despite his banishment.

Before Darya could say anything else, a white light flew into the cave and into the Avatar in her lap. Aang's eyes flew open for a minute and he struggled with the ropes. Darya moved to untie him, but he was struggling too much.

"Welcome back." Zuko said sullenly. His moment with Darya had ended.

"Good to be back." Aang replied before letting out a mighty breath and throwing Zuko against the wall. He propelled himself out of the cave and into the cold night air. Darya yelled after him as he disappeared in the snow.

Zuko rose with her and they both sprinted out of the cave after the Avatar. However, Zuko was faster while she was in her weakened state and was able to grab Aang by the collar.

"That won't be enough to escape." He snarled, beginning to drag him back into the cave. He only made it a step before he was knocked over by a blast of air from Darya.

"You shouldn't have been so nice to me." She grinned impishly, feeling her power start to return to her. Zuko started at her, anger in his eyes as a shadow loomed over them.

"Appa!" Aang cried out. Darya looked up and saw her friends glaring daggers at Zuko. She turned back to him as Katara dismounted.

"Here for a rematch?" Zuko challenged, assuming a firebending stance. Darya smiled, she knew this would be over quickly. The short northern day was over, and the waterbenders ruled the night.

"Trust me Zuko, it's not going to be much of a match." Katara spat back, taking a waterbending stance. Zuko sent flames at her, but Katara easily blocked them and returned the fire with ice. The ice hit Zuko and it encased him. Darya watched on with her mouth open as Katara propelled the ice high into the air. She then let it crash down, knocking Zuko out cold. Darya turned to Katara, still in shock.

"I knew you were good, but that was amazing!" Darya ran up and hugged her waterbending friend, relieved to see them here. She moved over to Aang as Sokka finished cutting his rope lose. She swept Aang up in a hug and pulled him close to her.

"Don't you _dare_ do that to me again!" She said, glaring at him playfully. Aang laughed and hugged her back. He then turned and faced the group.

"We need to get to the oasis! The spirits are in trouble!" His smile had disappeared and a look of desperation replaced it. They all quickly piled onto Appa and were about to take off when Darya felt a tug on her heart. She looked back and saw Zuko half buried in snow, his bruised and broken face open to the cruel wind.

"Wait." She called out to Sokka who had taken the reins. He looked back at her in confusion. Darya hopped off the saddle and ran over to Zuko. She began to unbury him from the snow.

"What are you doing!" Sokka yelled down at her. She looked back up at her friends, who were all looking at her like she was crazy. All except for Aang. He looked at her with understanding and it frightened her. _There's no way he knows, right?_

"We can't just leave him here." She called back, not wanting to show that her compassion went too deep.

"Sure we can. Let's go!" Sokka yelled back.

"No, she's right. If we leave him, he'll die." Aang said, sliding out of the saddle. Together, Darya and Aang unburied Zuko and they flew him up to the saddle.

"Yeah this makes a lot of sense. Let's bring the guys who's constantly trying to kill us!" Sokka said sarcastically as he snapped Appa's reins. They took off into the sky while Darya and Aang tied Zuko's hands together with the rope they had cut off of Aang.

"Thanks for saying that Darya." Aang said quietly.

"Huh, why?" Darya looked across the now tied up Zuko at him. Aang was looking down at Zuko.

"He saved me and if I'd have left him, I don't think I could live with that." Aang said, still not looking at Darya.

"What do you mean he saved you?" Darya was beyond confused now.

"When you were on Zuko's ship, did he ever wear a blue mask?" Aang asked, finally looking up at her. Darya shook her head, still confused.

"He always wore his uniform. Although," The night when he kissed her came back to mind. "There was a night where he left the ship and came back in black. That was when we were in Zhao's port I think."

"Yeah, that would've been the night." Aang sighed and looked back at Sokka, Yue, and Katara. "Remember when we told you about how I got captured by Zhao?"

Darya nodded, remembering it clearly. He had given her a heart attack when he had started the story. "And the Blue Spirit saved you, right?"

Aang nodded and looked back to Zuko. Darya followed his gaze and stared at the broken prince. She had never seen him look so peaceful. Then a jolt went through her. Aang had asked if Zuko ever wore a blue mask.

"You can't possibly mean…" She trailed off, looking to Aang for confirmation. He nodded.

"He saved me from Zhao. He risked his own life to save me. He even got shot by an arrow in the head. It bounced off the mask and when the mask tilted I could see his scar. I almost left him there too. I took him away so Zhao wouldn't capture him. I almost left him again tonight. Thank you for reminding me that I'm the Avatar and I have a duty to _every_ nation, even the Fire Nation." With that, Aang moved to sit closer to Katara while Sokka and Yue seemed to be cuddling in the very front.

Darya looked back at Zuko, her mind whirling with thoughts. She knew Zuko had a soft side, she had seen it just a few moments ago, she was still wearing proof of it. However, to risk one's life was much different than some kind words and a shirt. She knew it probably had to do with him wanting to be the one to capture the Avatar, but at the same time, she wondered if he would've been able to go through with it in the end. No matter the 'what ifs' Zuko had saved Aang while she had been powerless and unaware.

She glanced up at her companions, and when realizing none of them were paying attention, she swept her hand across Zuko's forehead. He twitched lightly and Darya thought for a second he would wake up, but after he let out a deep and content breath, she relaxed. She bent down and placed a chaste kiss on the top of his head and whispered, "Thank you". She then got up, praying the darkness would hide her blush and she joined Katara and Aang, trying to ignore the desire to sit with Zuko once more.

* * *

They were nearing the Water Tribe when the moon suddenly bled red. They all yelled in fright and even Appa roared in discomfort.

"Ugh…" Princess Yue groaned as she leaned forward with her hand on her forehead.

"Are you ok?" Sokka asked, putting his arms around her gently.

"I feel faint." Yue replied, her voice much softer than usual. Darya watched a little in awe as Sokka comforted her. _Boy, he's got it bad_.

"I feel it too." Aang said, drawing her attention. "The Moon Spirit is in trouble."

"I owe the Moon Spirit my life." Yue said, still quiet. Darya had to scoot closer to hear her.

"What do you mean?" Sokka asked, his voice just as soft.

"When I was born I was very sick and very weak. Most babies cry when they're born, but I was born as if I were asleep. My eyes closed. Our healers did everything they could. They told my mother and father I was going to die. My father pleaded with the spirits to save me. That night, beneath the full moon, he brought me to the oasis and placed me in the pond. My dark hair turned white, I opened my eyes and began to cry, and they knew I would live. That's why my mother named me Yue, for the moon."

They were all silent as they stared at Yue with new light. Sokka seemed to be in awe of the girl in his arms, while Katara and Darya were simply shocked. Only Aang looked calm. His eyes turned hard with determination as they drew near to the oasis.

Darya gasped as they flew past the great hall. "Look!" She pointed, drawing their attention away from Yue. They all looked down and saw several Fire Nation soldiers surrounding Zhao, who was holding a wriggling bag in his hands.

"They will call me Zhao the Conqueror! Zhao the Moon Slayer! Zhao the Invincible!" He cried out, too distracted by himself to notice the giant bison landing in front of him. Momo leapt out of the shrubs and began pulling Zhao's hair as the teens disembarked and fell into battle stances.

Darya was about to get off as well when she heard rustling behind her. She looked back to see Zuko with his eyes open and struggling against his bonds. She looked back at Aang and saw that Zhao was still distracted by Momo. She moved quietly over to Zuko, glaring at him.

"Untie me this instant!" The prince demanded, keeping his voice to a whisper. Darya rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh sure, yes your highness. Why on earth would I untie you?" She said, sarcasm heavy in her voice despite the impending fight with Zhao. She felt her fear of Zhao creep up her spine and she looked back over her should once more. The voice of Iroh interrupted her thoughts on Zhao before the fear could spread too far. She jumped up and ran to Appa's head, Zuko cursing behind her.

"I'm no traitor, Zhao, the Fire Nation needs the moon too. We all depend on the balance." Iroh stepped forwards into the light. He wore a dark red cloak with a hood which he was lowering. "Whatever you do to that spirit, I'll unleash on you ten-fold. Let it go, now!"

Iroh fell into a firebending stance and locked eyes with Zhao. Darya couldn't recall ever seeing Iroh fight, but she had heard the sailors on the ship talking about his mastery over fire. She stood with bated breath as Zhao seemed to think over his actions. He slowly placed the Moon Spirit back into the pond where it quickly began to swim around with the Ocean Spirit. Darya let out her breath, her fears relaxed as well.

Suddenly, a cry of madness burst out of Zhao and he sent a wave of roaring fire into the pool. The moon, which had returned to its normal color, winked out of existence.

"No!" Darya cried, about to leap down from Appa.

"Darya!" The voice of Zuko using her actual name made her spin around, air swirling around her hands.

"What do you want, Zuko, I'm not going to untie you!"

"If you don't he'll kill me, and I'd like to get to him first." Zuko snarled. Darya looked back at the oasis as Iroh took out all four guards Zhao had brought with him. However, Zhao himself was gone. She wanted to chase after him desperately, but knew she needed to stay with Aang. She turned back to Zuko and fell to her knees and began untying his ropes. As soon as the last one was gone, she spun him around before he could leap away.

"Only if you promise me to give him hell." She ordered, placing her hands on the sides of his head. Zuko looked down at her with surprise in his eyes but he knew time was short, and surprise turned to anger.

"Obviously." He said and spun around to leap off of Appa. Darya watched him run through door leading out of the oasis and after the tracks Zhao had left in the snow. She had confidence in him that he could take care of Zhao, while she need to take care of Aang.

She ran off of Appa and was quickly at Aang's side. She watched in horror as Iroh picked up the dead fish while the Ocean Spirit swam around frantically. She sank to her knees.

"There's no hope now. It's over." Yue cried into Sokka. He stood tall with his arms around her shoulders, holding her tightly.

"No," Aang spoke, his voice deep and other-worldly. His tattoos began to glow. "It's not over."

Darya made to move towards Aang, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She looked back to see Iroh watching Aang closely. She turned back around to watch Aang sink into the waters of the oasis. He disappeared along with the Ocean Spirit into the waters.

"Aang!" Katara yelled from beside her. Darya ignored her and continued to watch wide eyed as the water began to glow blue and flow out of the oasis. Before it hit the hall, a huge wave rose up until it was taller that even the hall. The wave began to take a shape and the head of a fish formed. It spread out its arms and looked up to the missing moon before it began to walk into the city itself.

Darya moved her shoulder out of Iroh's grip and ran up onto Appa. She grabbed her glider and took off into the air after Aang and the Ocean Spirit. There was no way she was going to miss Aang annihilate the Fire Navy. She watched as the waterbenders stopped fighting to bow to Aang as he passed over the city. The firebenders only raised their weapons higher. Aang lifted a mighty arm and swept the firebenders under the icy waters. Darya watched as he made his way through the city, taking out all firebenders in his path. Not even the tanks could stand up to his raw power.

The fish sank into the water once more and began to flow out to the ocean and the Fire Navy ships. Darya began to follow when a ball of fire to her right caught her attention. Thinking Aang had missed some firebenders, she swung towards the fire, determined to relieve the city of any firebenders.

Instead she nearly fell out of the sky when she saw it was Zhao and Zuko. They were trading volleys of fire and performing intricate firebending maneuvers. She had never seen Zuko fight all out before and she couldn't help but be impressed. The flames stopped for a moment as Zhao took off his cloak.

"You should have chosen to accept your failure, your disgrace! Then, at least you could have lived!" As Zhao raised his hands to send more fire at Zuko, Darya struck him from behind with a wave of air. It caused him to slide on the ice and spin around to glare daggers at her. She saw that his eyes held more madness than ever.

"Well if it isn't my little airbender." He grinned, cracking his knuckles. He sent a wave of fire at her, but she spun away, up and over him to land next to a slightly stunned Zuko. She glared at him and then back at Zhao.

"I can't believe I'm about to fight with you instead of against you." She snarled before launching another attack at Zhao. Zuko quickly followed suit and together the two of them forced Zhao off the level they were on and onto a bridge below. Together, they leapt down and continued their battle. Zhao was good, and able to fend off the two of them, but he couldn't hold them for long. With Darya's air feeding them, Zuko's flames grew huge, causing the Admiral to fall onto his back.

"It can't be!" Zhao cried, looking past them. They both looked back and saw the moon was back in its rightful place.

Darya felt a grin grow on her face until she was beaming with joy. She turned to look at Zuko who only looked past her in shock. She turned to where he was looking and her smile dropped. The Ocean Spirit was lifting Zhao up off the bridge.

"Take my hand!" Zuko shouted rushing forwards with his hand outstretched. Darya was shocked to see him show mercy to the man who had now tried to kill him twice.

Zhao reached out for only a moment before he pulled his hand back and glared at Zuko with hate filled eyes. The Ocean Spirit sank into the water, pulling Zhao with him. Darya walked over to Zuko carefully. She could see his body shaking slightly before he sunk down and leaned against the rail of the bridge. For a second she thought she heard a sniffle, but dismissed that as her adrenaline addling her brain.

She sank down next to him, not wanting to disturb him. The cold was seeping back into her, but Zuko's shirt was still protecting her from the worse of it. She looked up at the moon, now back in the sky. A deep sigh from her right caused her to look at Zuko. He was staring up at the moon with troubled eyes.

"At least the moon is back. I wonder how they managed that." Darya said quietly, waiting to gauge Zuko's reaction. He only nodded, not taking his eyes off the bright moon.

"You look like hell." She said, nudging him in the side lightly. Zuko looked back at her with his eye brows raised.

"What?" He asked, clearly baffled by her behavior. Darya smiled and gave a small laugh before standing back up. She held out her hand. Zuko looked at it for a moment before taking it and standing up. He thought she would drop it as soon as he stood, but she held onto it lightly. He didn't move, not wanting to break the moment. Darya looked at their hands and sighed.

"You look exhausted. If I understand correctly, within the past few weeks you've been paralyzed, blown up, undercover, in a blizzard, and then almost killed again. All for the Avatar? For the hope your father will be suddenly soft-hearted and will take you back under his wing? To go back to a war you don't support? Iroh told me how you got your scar. Stop this madness Zuko and rest. Stop chasing us all over the world because it'll kill you before you can get Aang home. You're being attacked you your own nation now. So just stop, and rest." Darya watched as an array of emotions swarmed across his face, from anger to sadness, and finally ending on one that couldn't find a name for.

Zuko, instead of saying anything, pulled her into a hug. His arms surrounded her and she felt herself hug him back. She sighed as the heat from his body seeped into hers, relieving her of any lingering cold. She felt warm and safe, and that was both comforting and scary. They stood like that for a moment before Zuko broke away. When he did, Darya felt her heart leap into her throat. Zuko gave her a genuine smile for the first time and it caused a few too many emotions within her.

"I took your advice to use my head, that's why I stayed undercover on Zhao's ship instead of attacking him." Darya felt her eyebrows shoot up at his words. "I think I'll listen to you again."

"Here, before you go." Darya said, starting to tug his shirt from around her.

"Keep it. You obviously have no idea how to dress yourself properly." Zuko said, stopping Darya from taking off the shirt. She glared at him but didn't try and give the shirt back.

With that he turned around. Before he was more than a few feet away he turned back to her with a smug smirk on his face.

"See you later." He said, waving a hand. Darya felt her growing emotions for him fade away for a moment as she yelled back.

"If you do, I'll kick your firebending ass!" She sent a wave of air at him that pushed him forward. She heard him give a bark of laughter before he disappeared around a corner. She smiled softly after him. _Maybe, just maybe, there's a chance for something._ She knew she shouldn't hold her breath, but she felt that perhaps he would leave them alone, at least for a while. As she took to the sky to return to the pool, she hoped she was right.

* * *

Darya felt sad as she looked out over the city. She had liked Princess Yue and she knew the city was grieving for its lost princess as well. She looked over at Sokka where he stood with the Chief. She felt tears form in her eyes as she mourned for Sokka as well. He had really fallen for Yue.

She shook her head and turned back to Aang. They were standing side by side while Momo chattered around them. He was staring out over the ruined city. She could tell he felt responsible. It was Kyoshi all over again.

"You know," She began, putting a hand on his shoulder. "If you hadn't merged with the Ocean Spirit, these people would all be dead. You saved so many lives Aang."

"But I killed too. We both did." He said, turning his forlorn eyes to hers. Darya sighed. It had been bothering her as well.

"I won't lie and say I'm not disturbed by that fact. We did kill people, but we can hold our heads high knowing it was out of self-defense. The Fire Nation attack was unprovoked, and that pyre would be much taller without us." Darya said, looking out at the funeral pyre that was blazing in the cold northern sun. The Water Tribe didn't bury their dead, instead they build large fires out of fragrant wood and oils, and the ashes were thrown into the ocean. She thought it was a beautiful was to pay homage to the brave warriors who had fought.

"You're right, but soon, I'm going to put a stop to it so that there's no more bloodshed." Aang said, his chin raised and his eyes no longer so heavy.

Katara appeared on Aang's other side while Momo leapt onto Aang's outstretched arm. Sokka, who was done talking with the Chief came over to stand next to Darya. He put a hand on her should and gave a friendly squeeze. She looked up at him and they shared a smirk, knowing that there would be more fighting ahead. With a roar, Appa rose from his place in the city and floated next to them. Together, they looked ahead with fierce determination, and with hope.

* * *

"I'm surprised, Prince Zuko, surprised that you are not at this moment trying to capture the Avatar." Iroh said as he let the sail down some more on their makeshift raft. They had been sailing for a few hours and still Zuko did nothing but stare back at the Water Tribe. Iroh knew that his nephew was dealing with something; he had yet to tell Iroh about how he failed to capture the Avatar.

"I'm tired." Zuko sighed, still not looking back. Iroh was no fool, he knew his nephew had feelings for the airbender girl. Something had happened in the city and it had had a deep effect on the boy. Iroh was curious, but he decided to leave it alone for the moment.

"Then you should rest." The old general said, placing a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "A man needs his rest."

Zuko finally turned away from the Water Tribe and lay down. He let out a deep sigh and stared up at the blue sky, a deeply pained look on his face. Iroh turned around to give him some privacy.

 _Perhaps this is a good thing. Maybe he will finally find peace._ Iroh thought as he continued to steer the raft towards land.


	16. Avatar State

_A/N: This chapter is a bit short and that's because I had a lot of trouble writing it. It's one of my least favorite episodes and I really just want to get it out of the way to I can get to some better episodes. I have everything up until "The Chase" planned out and there are a lot of good things coming so don't worry, this rather lackluster chapter will be an anomaly._

 _-62MoonParade_

 **The Avatar State**

Darya awoke to the gentle rocking of the Water Tribe ship bound for the South Pole. She opened her eyes slowly and blinked, clearing awake the fog of sleep. She was in a small cabin inside the wooden ship. Five hammocks had been strung along the walls. She had doubted their comfort several nights before, but as soon as she had lay down in the soft, fur lined hammocks, she had fallen asleep.

She sat up slowly and stretched, enjoying the way her joints and muscles stretched awake. She swung her feet down and landed softly in the small aisle between the two stacks of hammocks. Sokka was still snoring in the hammock directly underneath hers. She laughed and poked him in the shoulder.

"Huh, what? Is it the Fire Nation?" Sokka grumbled sleepily, sitting up slowly. Darya laughed, she always enjoyed seeing Sokka wake up. Usually because he would then be embarrassed. Without fail his face lit up in a blush at her laughter and he scowled at her.

"Shut up, Darya!" Sokka yelled, jumping out of the hammock and grabbing his boomerang. Darya continued her laughter as she leapt away from him and up to the door leading to the deck.

"You better hurry up! I think we're leaving soon." She called after him, hearing him swearing as he quickly gathered his things.

Darya arrived on the deck just as Aang was finishing loading their packs and supplies onto Appa. She walked over to him, a large smile on her face. It had been three days since the siege of the Water Tribe, and she was still dealing with the ghosts of the soldiers she had to kill. However, seeing Aang safe and sound, was enough to remind her of what she was fighting for.

"Morning, Aang!" She called up to him. Aang turned around, a large smile returning hers. He slid down Appa to land in front of Darya.

"Good morning, Darya!" He replied cheerfully. They both giggled and turned around as Sokka announced his presence by slamming the door and dragging his sack of belongings across the wooden deck.

"Morning, Sokka!" Aang said cheerfully. Sokka only grumbled a snarky "whatever" before flinging his back up onto Appa. Darya and Aang exchanged a glance before doubling over in a fit of giggles.

"What are you two so cheery about?" Katara asked as she came around the other side of Appa.

"You're brother." Darya said in between giggles. Sokka only gave a 'humph' in response. Before they could continue poking fun at Sokka, Master Pakku arrived on deck, carrying a small bag and looking very serious.

"Katara." He called out, causing all four teenagers to stand quietly. Katara took a step forward as Master Pakku reached into his bag. He pulled out a small vial wrapped in a triangle of brown leather and a long leather strap around it. "I want to give you this. This amulet contains water from the Spirit Oasis. The water has unique properties. Don't lose it."

"Thank you, Master Pakku." Katara said, awe in her voice as she carefully put the amulet around her neck and tucked it into her furs.

"Aang," Master Pakku continued, motioning for Aang to step forward. He pulled out a small wooden box with intricate carvings on it. "These scrolls will help you master waterbending, but remember they're no substitute for a real master."

Aang took the box and looked back at Katara with a smile. He moved away from Pakku and leapt onto Appa to show Katara the scrolls. Darya and Sokka stepped forward, side-by-side, but Darya could see that the bag was empty. Slightly disappointed she watched as Sokka's face light up with excitement. _What and idiot,_ she chuckled to herself.

"Sokka, Darya, take care." Master Pakku said, placing a hand on each other their shoulders. Darya watched as Sokka's face went from excited to dejected in less than a second. When Master Pakku stepped back, Darya put her hand on his shoulder and steered him to Appa.

"Come on, I didn't get anything either." She said, trying to comfort the depressed Sokka, although she was having trouble keeping the laughter out of her voice. She didn't really care that she didn't get anything. It wasn't like she or Sokka had ever been one of Master Pakku's students.

"Fly straight to the Earth Kingdom base to the east of here. General Fong will provide you with an escort to Omashu." Master Pakku said as Appa roared with impatience. "There you'll be safe to begin your earthbending training with King Bumi."

Aang nodded to Master Pakku and turned Appa to face the east. With a flick of the reins and a "yip yip", they were in the air. Darya decided it was a good time for her to continue practicing her airbending since she had lazed about the past three days. She stood up and began her morning stretches, despite it being nearly midday.

"You're taking up the whole saddle!" Sokka yelled as Darya balanced on one foot, the other one stretched out behind her and her arms stretched forward. She would bend her knee ten times and then switch to the other leg.

"I'll be off the saddle in a minute, give me a break!" Darya said back. She loved Sokka like a brother and he had quickly become the best friend she had ever had, but since the siege he had been temperamental and was quieter than usual. She put her foot down and looked back to him. Then it clicked. _Oh I'm so stupid! Stupid, self-absorbed Darya!_ She had been so busy with thoughts of Zuko running through her head lately that she had entirely forgotten that Sokka had witnessed the death of someone he cared about deeply. Darya decided her exercise could wait.

"Sokka?" She said softly, moving around the bags of food and other supplies to sit close to Sokka at the back of the saddle. Aang and Katara seemed to be in a conversation of their own near the front.

"What?" Sokka grumbled, nearly the only sound he'd been making for the past few days.

"Do you want to talk about, um," Darya wasn't sure how to word what she wanted to ask without being insensitive. "what happened the other day? With, with Yue."

Sokka seemed to freeze momentarily before looking up at her with sadness and loss in his eyes. Darya felt her heart break for him, and she reached out a hand to wrap it around his shoulders. He leaned into her and sighed.

"I'm fine. It had to happen. I'm just-" Sokka stopped for a moment. "I liked her a lot. It would've never worked out anyway, she even told me that. She was marrying some other guy. It was just hard to see her go."

"I don't know what I can say to make it better, but I wish you would feel better soon. I mean she's not dead, right? She's the moon now, so you can see her every night." Darya said, trying to be comforting. Sokka moved away from her slightly, forcing her to drop her arm from around him.

"You can't understand! That's what so hard! I know she's out there and I can see the moon in the sky, but I can't touch her or talk to her! You have no idea what it's like to love someone but not be able to be _with_ them." Sokka snapped, his eyes still sad. Darya looked away. She knew how he felt though. Granted, Zuko was no Moon Spirit, but he was out there and he was untouchable. In fact, the next time they meet they would most likely be in battle once more.

"I understand, Sokka, more than you'll know." Darya sighed, trying to comfort him still. She glanced over to Aang and Katara who couldn't hear her and Sokka due to the wind. They looked happy as they sat close and talked. Not for the first time Darya was envious of them.

"Wait, you love Aang?!" Came Sokka's cry, causing Darya to jump.

"What? No! No no no no no no no! I love Aang sure, but as a little brother! Agni no!" Darya said, her arms flailing as she tried to express how wrong her was before Sokka's imagination ran amok.

"You love _me_?" Sokka said, his voice rising an octave and he scooted farther away from her. Darya threw her hands in the air.

"No not you either! Why does it have to be you or Aang?" She growled and blushed, not liking where this was going. She had wanted to comfort him and show understanding, but if any of them found out that she had feelings for their enemy they would never let it go.

"Well who else have you been hanging around with? I know it couldn't be Jet." Sokka snorted in laughter as he remembered Darya's reaction to the criminal.

 _Darya had watched as Sokka and Aang had traveled into the trees. Jet stepped towards her, his hand outstretched with a rope in the other._

" _Grab hold of me, Darya." He said, clearly trying to be seductive. Darya raised her eyebrows and stared at his hand in surprise, but not at all happy. It was the self-assured smile that annoyed her, as if he thought she would never say no._ I'll just have to prove him otherwise, _she had thought._

" _I'll pass." She said swatting his hand away. She had opened her glider and rose into the trees, but not before seeing the sour look pass over Jet's face. She smirked in triumph._

"Definitely not Jet." She said, shuddering. "Just forget it. I just wanted to try and cheer you up or something."

Darya began to rise, but not before Sokka grabbed her hand, pulling her back down. They were now sitting face to face with Sokka looking at her thoughtfully. Darya was nervous. Sokka was not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he was also not stupid. It wouldn't take him long to go down the very short list of men her age they had run into. She fidgeted slightly.

"Will you stop looking at me like that?" She snapped.

"Not until you fess up." Sokka said.

"I won't, it's private." Darya said, folding her arms across her chest.

"What if I said it would cheer me up? You said that's what you wanted."

"I'd rather you were crying."

"That's harsh."

"Then leave it be." Darya said standing up. "We'll spar when we get to the Earth Kingdom post tonight. That'll make you feel better. I might even let you win."

Sokka grumbled a "fine", but it sounded like a normal Sokka grumble instead of a sad Sokka grumble. Darya stood up quickly and grabbed her glider. She leapt off of Appa and fell for several seconds, enjoying the feeling of weightlessness. It made the questions Sokka had been asking melt away slightly.

She twirled open her glider and floated along Appa, letting her mind wander to where it had been a lot since the siege. Her fight with Zhao had been freeing. That man had terrified her more than anything else had before and she had hated that feeling. She hated feeling too weak to do anything. However, with the help of Zuko, they had been able to defeat him. Darya sighed, wishing she could get him out of her head, but it seemed that with each meeting, he was worming his way deeper and deeper into her heart. _Zuko._

* * *

Zuko's head hung low as he thought of what had happened to him three years ago. He had everything in the world, and now he was left with nothing. He didn't even have the ability to wear the golden flame that symbolized himself as crown prince. He was worried that he would soon need to cut his hair as well.

"I see. It's the anniversary, isn't it?" His uncle asked, moving over to where he sat on the floor, a wide brimmed hat keeping his face in shadow.

"Three years ago today I was banished. I lost it all." Zuko said, looking to his uncle, seeking familiarity. "I want it back. I want the Avatar, I want my honor, I want my throne. I want my father not to think I'm worthless."

He hated this day every year. It seemed to get worse as the years went on as well. He had no idea what was going on back home. He even missed the little turtle ducks that swam in the gardens of the royal palace.

"I'm sure he doesn't! Why would he banish you if he didn't care?" Iroh said. Zuko stood up and began to walk away. He knew his uncle was trying to comfort him, but it wasn't working. There were only a few things that could cheer him up, and they were all the things he had listed.

He had tried to rest, tried to take Darya's advice, but it was no use. He couldn't sit still and pretend to be a peasant when he was born to be a king. His lip lifted in a snarl when he thought of her. _She doesn't understand me at all. She thinks she does, she thinks she's wise enough to give me, the crown prince, advice. But she's wrong. When I find the Avatar, I'll show her how wrong she is._

* * *

"There it is!" Sokka called from the saddle. He and Darya had been playing eye spy for the last ten minutes and both were growing increasingly bored of the never ending green landscape. She reminded herself why she had rarely visited the Earth Kingdom with the monks, it was so boring!

Darya perked up and stood up in the saddle, grabbing her staff to help keep her steady. In the distance, they could see the mountains split to form a shallow valley. Within the valley a tall tower surrounded by thick walls pierced the sky.

Appa descended quickly and they disembarked, excited to arrive before sunset. Darya dusted off her robes and turned around the face a tall, broad-shouldered man with a full beard. He cut a striking figure and Darya could immediately tell this man was the General.

"Welcome, Avatar Aang!" The General said, opening his arms wide, his brown and green armor clanking slightly as he moved. He fell into a deep bow, as did the numerous soldiers who had followed their general to meet the Avatar.

"I am General Fong. And welcome to all of you, great heroes! Appa, Momo, brave Sokka, the mighty Katara, and the fierce Darya." The General continued once he had their attention.

"'Mighty Katara'? I like that." Katara giggled as Sokka preened at his own title. Darya felt mixed feelings about hers. Jeong Jeong came back to her, telling her that her love of others added to her ferocity. _I need to keep an eye on that._

A mighty explosion sounded from behind her and she spun around, her hands going to her swords and pulling them out in one swift movement. Her eyes lit up and her arms relaxed as she saw that the explosions were just fireworks. She watched as green and red sparks danced across the sky.

"Not bad, not bad." Sokka said as he shared a look of amazement with Darya. Darya laughed, putting her swords away.

"I could get used to this." She said, as he threw an arm around her shoulder.

"Please, follow me." The General said, motioning for the group to follow him into the tower. They walked along a stone hallway lit with green lanterns. Darya looked around and felt boredom creep around her again. _Why does the Earth Kingdom insist on using only brown and green!_ She thought as they turned down an identical hallway as the first. At the end of the hall, the General opened a large wooden door and motioned for them to go in first.

They piled into the large office. It was made of more stone and was lit with more green lanterns like the rest of the tower. A large wooden desk was at the far end of the office and behind it was a massive Earth Kingdom Military banner. Darya had never understood why the Earth Kingdom Military insisted on using the exact same shaped rocks for fighting. She thought a lot of their battles may go a bit better if they were more creative. With a sigh, she sat down with the rest of the group on a mat in front of the desk. General Fong moved around the shiny, dark wood desk and sat down as well.

"Avatar Aang, we were all amazed at the stories of how you single-handedly wiped out an entire Fire Navy fleet at the North Pole." Fong started, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "I can't imagine what it feels like to wield such devastating power. It's an awesome responsibility."

"I try not to think about it too much." Aang said, trying to be humble. Darya gave him a smile of encouragement. He smiled back.

"Avatar . . ." Fong began, and Darya could hear his tone change. "You're ready to face the Fire Lord now."

Darya felt her jaw drop. She couldn't understand what the General was thinking. She looked over at Katara, Sokka, and Aang, noting that they were also in a state of shock.

"What? No I'm not!" Aang stuttered, clearly shocked.

"Aang still needs to master the four elements." Katara spoke up. Darya nodded, showing her agreement. Yes, Aang held incredible power, but that power meant nothing without control and discipline.

"Why?" Fong said, rising from his desk and walking around the office. Darya followed him with her eyes. "With the kind of power he possesses, power enough to destroy hundreds of battleships in a matter of minutes, he could defeat the Fire Lord now!"

"But, sir, the thing is, Aang can only do those things when he's in the Avatar state." Sokka said timidly. Darya looked at him, not used to hearing him sound timid. She looked back at the General as she thought back to Aang's amazing victory over the Fire Nation not a week ago. However, she still knew he wasn't ready for the Fire Lord quite yet.

"See, it's this special state where-" Aang started, but the General interrupted him.

"I'm well aware, your eyes and tattoos glow and you're able to summon unbelievable power. Without you we'd be slaughtered before we even reach their shores." Fong said, passionately pointing to a map of the world. "But with you leading the way as the ultimate weapon, we could cut a swath right through the heart of the Fire Nation."

"Impossible." Darya muttered. She knew Aang had incredible power, but not enough to cut through an entire nation. The Fire Nation had the smallest land mass, not including the absent airbenders, but it was still an enormous piece of land.

"Right. . . but I don't know how to get in or out of the Avatar state, much less what to do once I'm there." Aang said, looking more and more concerned.

"So, it's decided then. I'll help you figure out how to get into the Avatar state, and then you'll face your destiny." Fong said, clearly not understanding what Aang was saying.

Darya stood up, quickly followed by the other three.

"No, nothing's decided." Darya snarled, not liking the light that had entered the General's eye as he looked past her to Aang.

"We already have a plan. Aang's pursuing _his_ destiny _his_ way." Katara said, coming to stand next to Darya. Fong sighed and moved to a large window that overlooked part of the stone courtyard.

"Well, while you take your time learning the elements, the war goes on. May I show you something?" Fong asked, still staring out the window. The four approached him hesitantly and looked out. They saw two large, orange roofed buildings with a large crowd around them.

"That's the infirmary, and those soldiers are the lucky ones." Darya looked to see many soldiers with horrible burns or missing limbs as Fong spoke. "They came back. Every day the Fire Nation takes lives. People are dying, Aang! You could end it now! Think about it."

With that, Fong sat back at his desk as they stared out at the soldiers. Aang had a look of deep sadness on his face, and Darya knew what he was thinking. She sighed and moved over to him, putting an arm around him.

"Come on, let's sleep on it at least." She said, looking down at the Avatar. Aang looked up at her and nodded. They followed a soldier who had come to escort them to their shared room.

* * *

Several hours later, Darya was laying down in her bed while Sokka was busy whistling to himself in the bunk below hers. Katara was across the room in her own bed, while Aang's, which was below hers, lay empty. He had told them he needed to think alone a while ago, and Darya was starting to get anxious. She knew he would agree to try getting into the Avatar state, but Darya wasn't sure what the outcome would be. She didn't know what she wanted it to be either.

The door to their room opened, drawing Darya from her thoughts. Aang walked in, his face heavy. Darya sat up at the same time as Katara.

"I told the general I'd help him…by going into the Avatar state." Aang said without preamble.

"Aang, no. This is not the right way." Katara said immediately.

"Why not? Remember when he took out the Fire Navy? He was incredible." Sokka said from below Darya.

"There's a right way to do this. Practice, study, and discipline." Katara continued, ignoring her brother.

"Or just glow it up and stop that Fire Lord." Sokka said.

"Darya, what do you think?" Katara said, spinning to Darya. Darya sighed, knowing she would once again play tie-breaker. She readied herself for the inevitable outburst.

"I agree with Sokka." Darya started, before Katara interrupted her with a loud 'ugh!' "However, while I think Aang has the raw power to do it, he doesn't have the control necessary for this to work. The practice could be beneficial."

"If you three meatheads want to throw away everything we've worked for, fine. Go ahead and glow it up!" Katara yelled as she stormed out of the room. Darya rubbed her temples, just wanting to get on the road again. She hated stagnation and she hated being surrounded by walls even more.

"Katara!" Aang said as he raced out of the room after her.

"Those two are going to kill me." She said as she sat on Sokka's bed, forcing him to move his feet so she could sit down. He moved his feet to rest on her thighs once she had gotten comfortable.

"You and me both." Sokka said, putting his hands behind his head.

* * *

"Look at these magnificent shells!" His uncle said as they returned to the shack they had been staying in. Zuko was tired of hearing about damn shells.

"We don't need any more useless things, you forget we have to carry everything ourselves now." Zuko growled, feeling his temper rise dangerously high.

"Calm your fire, Zuko." Iroh said, about to walk forward when a dark figure stepped out of the shadows.

"Hello, brother. Uncle." The dark figure was revealed by the light to be wearing red Fire Nation armor. The sharp toes and shoulders told anyone looking at her that she was of great importance. The golden crown stuck in her high, dark ponytail erased any other doubts of her place in the Fire Nation nobility. Her golden eyes matched the set glaring back at her.

"What are you doing here, Azula?" Zuko snarled, quickly getting over his surprise as anger flared within him.

"In my country, we exchange a pleasant hello before asking questions." The woman said, playing with a sea shell and walking closer to Zuko. "Have you become uncivilized so soon, Zuzu?"

"Don't call me that!" Zuko was furious. _How did she find us?_

"To what do we owe this honor?" Iroh spoke up, bowing slightly.

"Hmm . . . must be a family trait. Both of you so quick to get to the point." Azula crushed the sea shell in her clawed hand. "I've come with a message from home. Father's changed his mind. Family is suddenly very important to him. He's heard rumors of plans to overthrow him – treacherous plots. Family are the only ones you can really trust. Father regrets your banishment. He wants you home."

Zuko's mind was frozen. He turned to look out the window as the sun set. _He wants me back? This, this is all over?_

"Father regrets? He, he wants me back?" Zuko said, interrupting whatever Iroh and Azula had been saying.

"I can see you need time to take this in. I'll come to call on you tomorrow. Good evening." As suddenly as she had appeared, the princess disappeared into the coming night. Zuko didn't notice her leave. He didn't notice when Iroh put a hand on his shoulder, or when Iroh began to make tea. _I'm . . . going home . . ._

* * *

After spending the previous day getting Aang hyped on tea, trying to scare him, dressing him in a ridiculous assortment of clothes and completely failing at getting Aang into the Avatar state, Darya had a headache. It was a bright, sunny morning and she was packing her things. The night before, Aang had apparently decided against going to the Avatar state, so she was getting ready to leave. _I don't know how much longer I could stay here,_ she thought as she tucked her swords away and into her rolled up sleeping bag. She wouldn't need those in the air.

The sound of the door opening got her attention and she turned around to see two soldiers standing in the open doorway.

"Oh, hello, do you think you could help me take this stuff out to Appa?" She asked. They moved forward, but something seemed off about them. With a flick of her wrist she spun around as they grabbed for her. From her wrist a fountain of air sprung out and pushed them against the wall. Their heads collided with the wall and they were knocked out in a second. She growled and grabbed her swords. She tied their scabbards around her waist and ran out of the room. She heard crashes and shouts from the courtyard, and as she exited the tower, she gasped.

Before her was Aang, fighting the Earth Kingdom soldiers while Sokka rode around on an ostrich horse. She sprinted into the arena and tackled a soldier about to send a stone disk flying for Aang. Katara's scream caught her attention and she saw her slide into the ground.

"You don't have to do this!" Aang cried, kneeling at Fong's feet. Darya could see the mad light in his eyes from where she was below him and her anger soared. She launched herself at him, but before she could make it very far, a gust of wind ripped her off her feet. She skidded along the ground and looked up to see Aang.

His eyes and arrow were glowing while he rose in the air. Dirt and rocks began to form around him, forming a deadly tornado. Darya's eyes widened as Aang hung in the air, unmoving.

"Avatar Aang!" Fong yelled from his place below Aang. Darya's eyes never left Aang. "can you hear me? Your friend is safe! It was just a trick to trigger the Avatar state, and it worked!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Darya could see Katara rise from the ground, coughing. However, she was too busy watching Aang closely. He had no control in his state and she was afraid of what might happen if he couldn't recognize who was friend and who was foe.

Suddenly, the wind stopped and Aang dropped. As he landed, a wave of air erupted out from his body, tossing everyone into the air. Stone disks went flying along with soldiers. Darya formed a whirlwind of air around her to protect herself. As she felt the eruption of air stop, she left down her defenses and ran to Aang. He was sitting at the epicenter of the destruction, his hands around his knees with Katara's arms around him.

"I'm sorry, Katara, Darya. I hope you never see me like that again." Aang said as Darya approached, putting away her swords. She knelt down in front of Aang while Katara rubbed his back comfortingly. Darya placed her hands on his cheeks and made him look her in the eye.

"I don't mind seeing you like that Aang, that's part of who you are. But, maybe smidge less destruction next time?" Darya gave him a smile, gaining a small, sad smile from Aang. Darya patted him on the cheek and stood up, looking around for the man she was about to destroy.

"Ha! Are you joking?" Darya didn't have to look far as Fong approached them, beaming. "That was almost perfect! We just have to find a way to control you when you're like that."

"You're out of your mind." Darya snarled, falling into a stance to knock him back into the wall.

"I guess we'll figure out on the way to the Fire Nation." Fong said, ignoring the threatening airbender in front of him. Before Darya could strike, a shadow fell over her and a boomerang hit Fong over the head. The General collapsed and Darya looked up to see Sokka still riding an ostrich horse.

"Anybody got a problem with that?" He said, looking around. Darya laughed out loud as the soldiers all shook their heads quickly. She held the reins as Sokka hopped off him mount.

"Would you still like an escort to Omashu?" A soldier brave enough to approach asked.

"I think we're all set." Katara said, making Darya laugh again.

* * *

"I think we're safe here." Iroh said as they paused beside a small river. Zuko knelt down and stared into the water, thinking back on what had just happened. Within a day he had been an exile, then the crown prince again, and now a fugitive. He felt himself slip away for a moment, hoping it was all a dream. He had thought Darya was wrong, he had thought that his family loved him. But he had been betrayed, betrayed by blood. It hurt worse than any wound, almost worse than his banishment.

He took a dagger out of his robes, one of the few things he had managed to save from their packs. He stared at it for a moment, knowing what he had to do, and remembering with bitter humor that a day ago he had feared this moment. _I hate that she is always right . . ._ he thought as he brought the knife to his head. He felt his heart tear as his ponytail fall away and into the river. His head felt lighter and his heart felt emptier.

He passed the knife to his uncle as he did the same, a small grey knot falling beside the long black ponytail. Zuko stood and looked toward the sun. He had nowhere to go, and no clue what to do, so he thought of the only thing that seemed the least uncertain. He thought of her blonde hair flowing in the wind as she had shot up from his ship, water trailing behind her like diamonds. He would find her. He wasn't sure what would happen when he did, but he needed direction, and at that moment, she was all he had.


	17. Cave of Two Lovers

**Chapter 15 - The Cave of Two Lovers**

Darya twirled in a whirlwind of hot air and steel. The thin tree that stood a few feet from her was severed cleanly as she sliced through it. She felt the way her arms wanted to give way, but she kept them stiff as the tree fell. She relaxed, rolling her shoulders back and taking a closer look at the new stump. She had been practicing heating the air around her swords for the past hour and the progress was finally showing off. The edge of the stump was lightly charred from the cauterizing strike of her swords.

With a triumphant grin, she put her swords away on her hip, careful to keep the heated metal away from any exposed skin, and walked over to see how Aang was progressing. The sun was already high in the sky, even with it being so early, showing that spring was upon them. Its soothing rays glinted off the water of the river in front of her. The river cut through a small ravine with small shrubs sticking out of the rock wall, and that was where the group had decided to stop and train for a while.

"You guys are gonna be done soon, right?" Well, all but one was training. Instead of sparring with Darya, as she had suggested, Sokka had decided to train in the art of relaxation. Darya snorted as he floated in the river on a large leaf he had found, his hair out of its usual wolf-tail and wearing nothing but underwear. It seemed Momo had decided to take a nap on him as well.

"We've got a lot of ground to cover if we wanna make it to Omashu today." He continued, pulling his brown hair out of his eyes and making no moves to get up.

"What, like you're ready to go right now, naked guy?" Katara teased, putting a hand on her hip. Darya laughed as Sokka glared at Katara.

"Sokka, what would happen in Zuko jumped out of the bushes right now? _We'd_ be stuck saving _your_ butt." Darya teased as well, taking off her outer robes until she was in her undergarments like the rest of the group. They had grown very close over the last few weeks and there was little embarrassment between them. She rocketed herself off the bank with a blast of air and did a cannonball into the deeper part of the river. She surfaced as Katara and Aang were laughing at her. She looked over to see a very cross Sokka with water dripping from his hair.

"For your information, I can be ready in two minutes, _and_ I don't need clothes to take down Zuko." Sokka growled from beneath his mop of dripping hair. Darya laughed and splashed him again, eliciting another growl. He sat up and flopped out of his leaf in his anger to get to Darya.

The two older teens relaxed and played in the water while Katara and Aang continued to practice their octopus stance. Darya squealed as Sokka swam under the water and picked her up while she wasn't looking. He scooped her up and with a triumphant yell, threw her in the water. Darya landed with a splash and quickly resurfaced, ready to get her revenge, when the odd sound of a guitar and flute caught her attention.

From out of the forest along the riverbank, a group of people emerged, singing and dancing. Darya watched in amazement as their colorful outfits flashed between the leaves of the trees.

 _Don't fall in love with the traveling girl,_

 _she'll leave you broke and broken hearted_.

The leader sang as he emerged from the trees. He was playing a red guitar and wearing a blue and gold robe with a green sash tied to keep in together, even though one sleeve was completely off. Behind him, a woman dressed in brown and pink played the flute while a larger man in white and pink danced beside her. Several other colorfully dressed people danced behind them.

"Hey-hey, river people!" The leader called out with a smile upon seeing the group in the water.

"We're not river people." Katara said, unsure of these new people. Darya swam to where she could stand and walked over to Katara and Aang, Sokka following slowly.

"You're not? Well then what kind of people are ya?" The man asked, confused.

"Just . . . people." Aang replied, slightly uncomfortable.

"Aren't we all, brother?" The man said, playing his guitar and letting out an odd sound. Darya was a bit concerned for the sanity of the group standing before her, but she could see they were harmless.

"Who're you?" Sokka said, finally arriving with the rest of his group. He stepped in front of them protectively and pointed an accusing finger and the man with the guitar.

"I'm Chong, and this is my wife Lilly." The woman raised a hand in hello. "We're nomads, happy to go wherever the wind takes us!"

"You guys are nomads! That's great, Darya and I are nomads!" Aang said, pointing to his blonde friend next to him.

"Hey me too!" Chong said excitedly.

"We know, you just said that." Darya said, flatly.

"Oh" Chong said, seeming confused before becoming distracted. "Nice underwear."

Sokka, who was still standing in front of the group grew red from head to toe. He grabbed Momo from off of his head and placed the lemur in front of himself before scurrying away shyly. Darya, Katara, and Aang all laughed at his embarrassment.

* * *

Zuko had always had a clear path in mind. He had never wavered or questioned himself, but there was always a first time for everything, and he hated it. They had been fugitives for a week now and he hated it. He hated it more than he had hated anything before, except maybe Azula. Yeah, he hated Azula more. However, as he struggled to get unstuck from another _damn bush_ he was angry at another female. A week ago, he had been desperate to find Darya and then decide where his path would lead, now he wasn't sure. He still wanted to find her, as he had nowhere else to go, but he wasn't sure if he wanted her or the Avatar more. He had begrudgingly accepted that his feelings for her were more than that of a little crush, but he couldn't get rid of his desire to return home so easily. Not to mention it was easier to dwell on his feelings for home than his feelings for the enemy. Maybe his father would remove the bounty from his if he brought back the Avatar?

"I didn't find anything to eat." He growled as he finally managed to remove himself from the bush, a new tear adorning his already ragged outfit. "I can't live like this, I wasn't meant to be a fugitive. This is impossible!"

He struck the ground with his foot, although that did little to help his situation. Dust swirled up in the breeze and stuck to his new head of hair. He remembered having it as a child, and he was actually rather happy to have it back. While the shaved style with the ponytail signified his coming into manhood, he had been rather prone to sunburn while on the ocean. With a sigh, he rubbed a hand across his head and looked over at his uncle, who was quietly sitting and looking at a beautiful flower.

"Uncle . . . what are you doing?" Zuko said, moving to his uncle slowly.

"You're looking at the rare white dragon bush. Its leaves make a tea so delicious it's heartbreaking." Iroh said lovingly, but then he turned serious. "That, or it's the white jade bush, which is poisonous."

"We need food, not tea. I'm going fishing." Zuko said with a sigh. He loved his uncle, he really did. The man had been there for him and taught him more than his father, but his patience was quite shallow. Zuko walked away, determined to find something substantial to eat. _I bet she's feasting, basking in the glow of the Avatar, and sleeping in a nice bed. Agni, I just need to stop thinking about her._

* * *

Darya was on top of Appa, laying on her back and listening to Chong talk with Aang. She had listened happily as they told stories of the places they had been and the things they had seen. She knew they couldn't stay for much longer, but it was nice to relax in the company of people who weren't trying to kill them.

As she was playing with one of the braids in Appa's hair, Sokka came stomping up to them from wherever he had been.

"Hey, Sokka, you should hear some of these stories. These guys have been everywhere." Aang said as the warrior approached.

"Well, not everywhere, Little Arrowhead. But where we haven't been we've heard about through stories and songs." Chong said as he continued to strum his guitar. Darya closed her eyes and hummed along.

"They said they'll take us to see a giant nightcrawler." Aang said excitedly.

"On the way there's a waterfall that creates an endless rainbow." Moku sang from his spot on the ground.

Darya heard Sokka sigh, and knew it was time to leave. She slid down from Appa, avoiding the many bodies that leaned up against his and stood next to her friend.

"Look, I hate to be the wet blanket here, but since Katara is busy I guess it's up to me." He started, making Darya laugh loudly as Katara glared at the two of them. "We need to get to Omashu. No sidetracks, no worms, and definitely no rainbows."

"Sokka's right, Aang, we've lazed about long enough." Darya added.

"Woah sounds like someone's got a case of destination fever. You're worried too much about where you're going." Chong said, motioning with his hands.

"You've got to focus less on the 'where' and more on the 'going'." Lilly added.

"O. Ma. Shu." Sokka said, trying to get his point across to the oblivious nomads.

"They're right. We need to find King Bumi so Aang can learn earthbending somewhere safe." Katara said, standing up from where her hair was being re-braided.

"Well, sounds like you're headed to Omashu." Chong said, making Sokka smack his forehead and Darya sigh deeply. "There's an old story about a secret pass, right through the mountains."

Darya looked up at his ominous tone, curious about a shortcut over the mountains.

"Is this real or a legend?" Katara asked skeptically.

"Oh, it's a real legend. And it's as old as earthbending itself." Chong began to play his guitar and sing:

 _Two lovers, forbidden from one another,_

 _A war divides their people,_

 _And a mountain divides them apart._

 _Built a path to be together._

"Yeah, and I forget the next couple lines, but then it goes:"

 _Secret tunnel! Secret tunnel!_

 _Through the mountain,_

 _Secret, secret, secret, secret tunnel!_

Chong and the other nomads finished the song grandly with dancing and singing. Darya clapped along with Katara and Aang while Sokka only sulked. Darya was sold when it hit her. _Tunnel._ It wasn't a pass _over_ the mountains, it was _under_ the mountains. She gulped, hating the idea of being underground. _I hate the Earth Kingdom,_ she grumbled, standing by Sokka moodily.

"I think we'll just stick to flying. We've dealt with the Fire Nation before. We'll be fine." Sokka said, making Darya want to kiss him. She would only go through that tunnel if it was the absolute only choice.

"Yeah. Thanks for the help, but Appa hates going underground and we need to do whatever makes Appa most comfortable." Aang said, smiling at Chong and the nomads.

* * *

"Secret love cave. Let's go." Darya said moodily as the four teens walked past the nomads, their clothes still smoldering lightly. The Fire Nation had been prepared and had almost struck them down with the number of fireballs thrown at them.

They set off as a large group with Sokka and Darya in the lead, listening to directions from Chong. After about an hour of walking through Earth Kingdom ruins, Darya was getting anxious. She knew they had no other choice, but that didn't make it easier knowing she would be completely surrounded by impenetrable rock.

"How far are we from the tunnel?" She asked Chong.

"Actually, it's not just one tunnel. The lovers didn't want anyone to find out about their love, so they build a whole labyrinth." Chong said.

"Labyrinth!" Both she and Sokka spun around, horror on their faces.

"I'm sure we'll figure it out." Chong said. Darya and Sokka both smacked their heads and continued walking.

"All you need to do is trust in love, according to the curse." Lilly added airily. Darya and Sokka stopped their bodies rigid as they stared at each other.

"Curse!" They said, Darya in more horror and Sokka in exasperation.

"I hate this, something bad is going to happen. Something bad _always_ happens." Darya complained to Sokka. As they continued to walk, a large, black opening coming into sight around a bend in the canyon.

"Hey-hey, we're here!" Chong said, pointing to the obvious opening in front of them. It was huge, with dancing dragons lining the sides of it. For once, the sight of a dragon did nothing to comfort Darya.

"What exactly is this curse?" Sokka asked, moving to the front of the group to stare into the dark opening.

"The curse says that only those who trust in love can make it through the caves. Otherwise you'll be trapped forever." Chong said, his voice not nearly ominous enough.

"And die." His wife added.

"Oh, yeah, and die. Hey, I just remembered the rest of that song!" Chong took out his guitar and strummed a deep chord. "And die!"

"That's it, there's no what we're going through some cursed hole!" Sokka yelled.

"I agree, this is too much. Aang, we'll find another way." Darya spoke up.

"Hey, someone's making a big campfire!" Moku interrupted, pointing to a pillar of smoke that arose behind them. Darya sighed and resigned herself to the cursed love labyrinth.

"That's no campfire, Moku." Katara said, stepping back.

"That's the Fire Nation. They're tracking us." Sokka added.

"So, all you need is to trust in love to get through the caves?" Aang asked Chong, and Darya looked up at him, hoping he would say no or do some Avatar stuff to get them out of this mess.

"That is correct, Master Arrowhead!" Chong said. Aang turned and looked at Katara thoughtfully. His eyes misted over and Darya could see the love and adoration he had for the waterbender within them.

"Oh Aang, that's so lame." She said quietly to herself. Since when had the Avatar gotten so sappy?

"We can make it." Aang said confidently.

"Everyone in the hole!" Sokka said, leading them in. Darya and Appa trailed the group. Appa swung his head and groaned in protest. Darya put a hand on his leg, giving him an encouraging pat.

"I agree completely, Appa." She said, looking up at the grinning dragons that danced with swords and naginatas.

They were walking for only a few minutes when they heard a deep rumble. Darya spun around, her hand still on Appa as the giant bison roared in fear. She wanted to calm him down, but her own fears were becoming too much for her. _Please don't be a cave-in._ She said frantically to herself. As suddenly as the rumble started, the light from the entrance was put out. The only light that remained was the sole torch that Chong had lit before entering the caves. _Agni, the entrance closed!_

Appa roared and slammed into the wall of rubble that now blocked the entrance behind them. The bison stood up on his back two legs and scratched the rocks, desperate to get out. Darya ran up to him, trying to calm him down, using his fear to block her own, even though she felt herself choking on it.

"It's okay, Appa. We'll be fine. Calm down, buddy." She cooed, stroking his huge paws while trying to avoid the rocks he was sending down.

"I hope." Katara said quietly from behind her. Darya looked back at her, but Katara was already moving towards Aang. Darya sighed, not wanting to get into a fight while stuck in a cave. She gave Appa another pet, but moved away as a rock landed only a foot from her.

"We will be fine. All we need is a plan. Chong, how long do those torches last?" Sokka was saying as Darya moved to stand by him. His planning was soothing and she decided to stick with him until they were out of the tunnels.

"Eh, about two hours each." Chong said.

"And we have five torches, so that's then hours!" Lilly said, striking all the torches at once. Darya pounced on her, grabbing the torches from her hand and quickly snuffing them out.

"It doesn't work like that!" She snarled, trying to not lash out her anger and failing.

"Ohhh, right." Lilly said, unaffected by Darya's sharp tone.

"I'm gonna make a map to keep track of exactly where we've been. Then we should be able to solve it like a maze and get through." Sokka said, taking the torches from Darya and looping them though his belt.

"Sokka, if you get me out of these caves, I will buy you whatever you want from my share of the gold Master Pakku gave us." Darya said, leaning over her friend as he began to sketch on a piece of parchment.

"I'll get us out, don't worry." Sokka said, putting a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

* * *

After walking for an hour, Darya was getting more and more nervous. She wanted to strike out at something, but there was nothing there. She hated when there was nowhere to focus her energy. So, she continued to nervously tap her fingers to her sword hilts and follow Sokka into another dead end.

"Sokka, this is the tenth dead end you've led us to." Katara complained, walking up to her brother.

"This doesn't make any sense; we've already come through this way." Sokka said, staring at the map and walking closer to the dead end.

"We don't need a map. We just need love. The little guy knows it." Chong said, pointing to Aang.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't mind a map, also." Aang said, shrugging.

"There's something strange here. There's only one explanation." Sokka turned to face them, his expression somber. "The tunnels are changing."

Darya shook her head in disbelief. She growled and kicked a rock, sending it into the wall of the cave. It bounced down and Darya stared at it angrily as her foot began to throb gently. It didn't hurt that much, but it certainly didn't improve her mood.

The tunnel started to shake and rumble, drawing Darya's attention away from her foot and to the roof of the cave. The rumble and shaking didn't last long, but it left her with more fear than ever. She paced the floor, trying to dispel the chaotic energy.

"The tunnels, they're changing. At, it must be the curse, I _knew_ we shouldn't have come down here!" Chong said, panicking.

"Right, if only we listened to you." Darya growled as she continued to pace.

"Everyone be quiet, listen." Katara said, holding her hand up.

A quiet growling could be heard from the darkness behind them. Out of the darkness, the growling faded. Silence.

Darya felt herself relax when a bundle of brown fur and wings shot out of the darkness. It dove down, knocking Sokka off his feet. Darya drew her swords, still not able to get a good picture of what was attacking them, it moved too fast.

"Ah! It's a giant flying thing with teeth!" Chong cried out as the creature landed and spun around, snarling fiercely.

"No, it's a wolfbat!" Moku cried out. As the wolfbat paused, folding in its wings, Darya got a good look at it. It's chocolate brown fur blended into the dim light of the caves while its pink, hairless face growled at them. It's large red eyes glowed in the torchlight while it's fangs glistened white. She could see it was larger than a dog, it stood higher than her waist, and its wingspan was huge. Its wings were now tightly folded to its body, and its bat-like nose twitched as it smelled the air. Darya had never seen a creature so ugly and beautiful before.

With surprising agility, it leapt over her and onto the rock wall. It used the rock to launch itself into the air, unfolding its leathery wings. It dove at Sokka, who struck out with his torch, scaring the wolfbat. The wolfbat used its massive wings to knock the torch out of Sokka's hands, unfortunately leading to it hitting Appa's paw. As Appa began to rampage in his pain, the wolfbat landed and ran back down the cave, disappearing into the dark.

The bison slammed into the walls of the cave, blinded by pain. The ceiling began to crumble and shake as the beast continued to slam into the walls. The ceiling began to fall, and finally having something to direct her energy to, Darya sent a blast of air at Aang. She knocked the Avatar back as a huge boulder fell where he had been standing. Darya spun in a circle, her nervous energy giving her bending a boost of power. She sent a wave of air up and back, sending the rocks just in front of her and her friends behind her.

The mound of rocks settled, dust covering them all. Darya looked back and saw Sokka and Momo with the nomads. Aang and Katara were missing. She looked over to the rock pile and called out.

"Aang! Katara!" She cried, digging through the rocks and praying that they were on the other side and unhurt. "Aang!"

Sokka appeared beside her, digging just as ferociously.

"Darya? Sokka?" A faint voice came through the rubble. Darya felt tears spring in her eyes in her relief. They were alive.

"Aang, we can't get through, we'll meet you in Omashu, ok?" She knew there was still the obstacle of getting out of the tunnels, but Aang was the Avatar, he could handle it.

"Ok." Came Aang's faint reply. She thought she heard him say something else, but the rocks were too thick. She stopped digging and stood up, dusting off the dirt from her golden robes.

"Yeah, it's no use, we're separated, but at least you have us!" Chong said, appeared beside Darya. She looked at him and smiled, although her patience with the nomads was gone. They had gotten them into this mess. Sokka froze in his digging for a moment before resuming with more fervor. Darya laughed as a pile of dirt fell on him. She grabbed his collar and pulled him out of the rubble.

"Come on," She said to his scowl. "We need to find a way out of here."

* * *

Zuko wanted to be left alone. He was sitting on the front porch of the girl, Song's, house. She was cute, he admitted that, but she was so _annoying_. Nice, sure, but she was so _soft,_ like she thought she could change the world with only a kind word. Not only was her softness annoying, her ability to make him feel guilty was worse. She had brought up the war and to see the consequences of his family's actions was hard to see. He had always felt guilt, ever since he had interrupted his father's general before he was banished, even Darya had made him feel guilty at times, but this family, who was torn apart by his own blood was almost too much. He _hated_ guilt. He hated it so much. It made him angry and confused, and that only lead to more anger.

The door to the house slid open, and the one person he was trying to avoid stepped out. He ignored her as she stepped out next to him, sitting down cross legged like himself.

"Can I join you?" He ignored her. _If I'm cold to her, she has to leave,_ he thought.

"I know what you've been through. We've all been thought it. The Fire Nation has hurt you." She said, reaching a hand out to touch his scar. Zuko's hand shot out, not wanting her to touch him. She was unworthy of touching him. He was the crown prince of the Fire Nation!

"It's okay, they've hurt me too." Song drew back her hand kindly, which annoyed him further. She lifted up part of her dress to reveal a burn scar running around her right leg. Zuko stared at it, shock taking over him. This was the first time he had directly seen a person damaged by the Fire Nation. Guilt washed over him, and it was too much. He turned away. It was all too much.

* * *

Darya couldn't take much more of it. _This is too much,_ she growled internally. The nomads were acting like this was a fun adventure and that they would be home for dinner soon. She grumbled under her breath about idiots, causing Sokka to snicker next to her, relieving himself of a matching scowl for a moment.

 _Don't let the cave in get you down._

 _Don't let the falling racks turn your smile into a frown._

 _When the tunnels are darkest that's when you need a clown, hey!_

 _Don't let the cave in get you down DaryaandSokka!_

Darya growled out loud as Chong finished his song by smashing her and Sokka's names together, teasing them. She turned to glare at the nomad, who only smiled widely back at her. _I'm going to strangle them, that's the only way to get them to stop._ A rock wall rose from out of the darkness and she sighed, another dead end.

"Oh, great! Your plans have led us to _another_ dead end!" Moku said, throwing his hands in the air. Darya spun around, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"At least he's thinking of ideas and trying to get us out of here, _Moku_." Darya bristled, causing the pink clad nomad to shuffle uncomfortably. Satisfaction snaked its was up her body to form a sinister smile.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute, we're thinking of ideas? 'Cause I've had this idea for, like, an hour." Chong said, making Darya shift her fiery gaze to him.

"Yes!" She snarled.

"We're all thinking of ideas!" Sokka yelled with her, exasperated. Momo chirped at his movements. The lemur was trying to balance on Sokka's head.

"Well, listen to this. If love is the key out of here, then all we need to do is play a love song!" Chong said, turning around and ignoring the _smack!_ of Sokka slapping his forehead and the growl from Darya. She was fuming as the nomad began to play another song on his guitar. _I'll strangle him with his own guitar strings if this keeps up!_

 _Even if you're lost you can't,_

 _Lose the love because,_

 _It's in your heart,_

 _Ooooohhhhhh . . . . . . ._

* * *

"Thank you for the duck. It was excellent." Iroh said as he took the bento box of duck from Song's mother.

"You're welcome. It brings me joy to see someone eat my cooking with such gusto." The woman smiled kindly, making Zuko roll his eyes. Gusto was putting it gently.

"Much practice." Iroh replied, patting his stomach. "Junior, where are your manners? You need to thank these nice people."

Zuko turned around, scowling and hating the fake name his uncle had given him. He wanted to get as far away from these people as possible. He gave a small, stiff bow and turned, beginning to walk away.

"I know you don't think there's any hope left in the world, but there is hope. The Avatar has returned!" Song called after him, making Zuko pause. Over the past hour he had figured out what he needed to do. He had to push away everything. Every emotion that had torn him up the past week would become numb. He would focus on only one thing: capturing the Avatar. That had never failed to keep him focused before.

"I know." He said quietly, intensely. He continued to walk off as the mother and daughter went back inside, his uncle following him. As they closed the garden gate behind them, Zuko rested his eyes on a large ostrich horse tied to a post opposite the house. He walked up to it and quickly untied its tether. He swung up in the seat as his uncle turned to him, an appalled look on his face. As Zuko felt the guilt rise, he pushed it down once more, becoming numb.

"What are you doing? These people just showed you great kindness." Iroh protested.

"They're about to show us a little more kindness." Zuko offered his hand to his uncle. "Well?"

Iroh looked down, unhappy. He looked back up at his nephew and saw the blank look in his eyes, a look he had not seen since Zuko was chasing the Avatar across the seas. Iroh sighed and took his nephews hand. They rode off until the darkness swallowed them.

* * *

A deep rumble shook the tunnel once more.

"Not again!" Darya cried, slowly becoming numb to the terror of the tunnels. She was tired, hungry, and had a pounding headache. She no longer liked the nomad's songs, in fact, she would be happy if she never heard a guitar again.

The rumbling stopped for a moment and then the screeching and growling began. _Wolfbats_ , she thought, drawing her swords in case one attacked. Out of the darkness and huge pack of wolfbats appeared. They ran at the small group, leaping over them and taking to the wing. Sokka screeched and flailed as the bats flew over him, while Darya simply knelt down, keeping out of reach of their wings. _Where are they going, and why aren't they attacking?_ The air from their wings felt good and she smiled softly as she felt a breeze for the first time in hours.

As soon as they appeared, the wolfbats were gone.

"Hey-hey, you saved us Sokka!" Chong yelled.

"No, sorry Sokka, but they were trying to get away from something." Darya said, standing and keeping her swords at the ready.

Behind them, the rock wall exploded, sending rocks flying. Darya spun a circle of air, throwing the rocks away from the group. Out of the rocks appeared a monstrous creature the size of Appa. Its small, triangular face swung to look at them. Its beady, black eyes narrowed as it swung its huge mass to face them. Behind them, another rock wall exploded, showing another giant. Both creatures blocked their path. The light brown fur was stripped with black and white, and Darya stared as the two beasts used earthbending to separate Sokka from the rest of the group.

"Badgermoles!" She yelled, recognizing the original earthbenders from stories. She had no idea they were so large!

The badgermole closest to her remained still, while the one near Sokka advanced. He crawled backwards until his hand fell on Chong's guitar. The strum caused an eerie silence to fall on the group. The badgermole tilted its head in confusion.

"Sokka, keep playing!" Darya said, not sure if she could believe her eyes. Sokka quickly grabbed the guitar and continued to play the same note.

"Hey, those guys are music lovers!" Chong said happily.

"Badgermoles, coming toward me. Come on guys, help me out." Sokka sang, horribly. Darya, laughed. Her fear and nervous energy seemed to drain away as the badgermoles listened to the group play for them.

 _The big bad badgermoles,_

 _Who work in the tunnels,_

 _Hate the wolfbats,_

 _But love the sounds._

Chong continued to sing as Darya raced forward, grabbing Sokka and pulling him up. They both stared at the badgermoles as the creatures began to purr.

"I can't believe it." Darya said, in awe at the monsters before them. A quiet whimper caught her attention and she looked past the badgermoles and into the rock pile they had formed. Something moved slightly, and a small pink face could be seen. Darya shot forward, ignoring Sokka's cry.

She approached the wolfbat cautiously, she had no idea how it would react. Its back-right leg was trapped under a rock, pinning it to the ground. She could tell it was young due to its small size, although still older than a pup. It flapped its wings desperately and when that didn't work, it began to scratch the ground, whining the whole time. It let out a sad howl, its red eyes blinking balefully at her. She stretched out a hand slowly.

"What are you doing?" Sokka said from a few feet away. Darya kept her eyes on the injured wolfbat.

"If we leave it, it'll die." She said. It wasn't the most beautiful creature she had seen, but she felt a connection to it. It was alone, separated from its own kind, not unlike her.

"Let it, look at it, it's disgusting!" Sokka said. At that, Darya turned her head to glare at him. When she did, the young wolfbat snapped at her fingers. He didn't get anything, but Darya took her hand and gently flicked it on the nose.

"Bad wolfbat." She said sternly. The young wolfbat stared at her, seemingly in shock. It stopped moving and laid its head down, looking up at her sadly. She smirked.

"Sokka, help me out." She said, moving to the rock trapping the little wolfbat. Grumbling about girls being crazy, Sokka helped her lift the rock off the wolfbat. The creature limped out from under the rock, but as soon as it was away from the rocks, it sat down, it's foot sticking out at an odd angle. It whined as it tried to lick it.

"Leave it alone." Darya said, patting it on the head. She went to walk away, leaving the wolfbat to find its way through the tunnels when she felt a tug on her robes. She looked back, wide-eyed as the wolfbat held her robe in its teeth. She stepped back and it released her. She stepped forward and it once again latched on, not wanting to be left alone. She sighed and smiled. It looked like she had found a new friend. She scooped up the wolfbat in her arms like a baby, surprised at how light it was. It licked her cheek, making her laugh.

"No." Sokka said, clearly seeing what Darya was about to do. "Leave it."

"But Sokka, he's hurt." Darya said, giggled as the wolfbat wagged its tail. "He's so cute too!"

"Cute?!" That has to be the ugliest creature I've ever seen!" Sokka cried, his hands in the air.

"Take that back!" Darya demanded, shifting the wolfbat so it was more comfortable in her arms.

"Uh, I think these guys want to get going?" Chong interrupted from his place on top of the badgermole.

"What are you doing up there!" Sokka yelled, allowing Darya and her wolfbat to pass. Darya used her bending to lift herself onto the back of the second badgermole. The wolfbat struggled slightly in her arms at the sudden altitude change, but she soothed it.

"Come on Sokka!" She called, laughing at his deep scowl. He trudged up to her badgermole, struggling to climb it. Darya sighed and helped him by lifting him onto its back with bending.

"You are insane. Absolutely crazy." Was all he said as the badgermoles began to move through the tunnels, bending earth out of their way when they needed to. The wolfbat was clearly unsure of what was happening, so Darya continued to pet its ears, trying to keep it calm. She had no idea how to care for an injured wolfbat, or if it could even stay out in the day. However, she knew she had to ask Katara to try and heal it at least. Then it could go back to its pack. She scratched its ear and the wolfbat made a deep purring sound. She laughed as it lifted its chin, clearly wanting to be scratched there. She was unsure of touching its face, since it was just skin, but her curiosity got the better of her. She scratched lightly, and when she felt that the skin wasn't slimy or loose, she continued to scratch. She realized that there was a thin layer of soft fur that protected its bare skin, and it felt like petting the nose of a dragon moose.

After only half an hour, the huge badgermoles had shown them to the sunlight. Darya was off the badgermole and in the air in a flash. She laughed and set the wolfbat down. She fell back onto the ground and sighed, relieved to be out of the caves. Her new friend put his chin on her stomach and she scratched his ear.

"Darya! Sokka!" Darya shot up when she heard Aang's voice, causing the wolfbat to sit up in surprise. Darya leapt up and hugged her little brother tightly.

"Thank goodness you're ok!" She said, stepping back from him.

"How'd you guys get out?" Sokka asked as he approached them.

"Just like the legend says, we let love lead the way." Aang smirked and Darya raised a brow, glancing between him and the now blushing Katara.

"We need to talk later, little brother." She said, smirking with him. Aang blushed.

"Really?" Sokka said, oblivious. "We let huge ferocious beasts lead our way."

They all turned and waved as the badgermoles retreated to their tunnels. A whine drew Darya's attention back to her new friend.

"Oh, Katara! I need your help." Darya dragged Katara over to the wolfbat, which was helplessly laying down, its eyes shut in pain. Darya swept her hand over its ears, wanting to help it.

"What are you doing with a wolfbat?" Katara asked, reluctant to go near it.

"I've been asking myself that for the past half hour." Sokka said, exasperated.

"He got hurt, it's his back leg. Can you try and heal it?" Darya asked as the wolfbat continued to whine in pain. Darya looked up at Katara, and saw the waterbender sigh, kneeling down.

"I barely know how to heal people, let alone an animal, but let me try." Katara used the water in her pouch. She bent it until it wrapped around the wolfbat's leg. The creature fidgeted uncomfortably, but Darya calmed it down as she continued to pet it. The familiar blue glow of healing appeared as Katara concentrated. After a minute, Katara pulled the water away and stood up, dusting off her knees.

"That's all I can do." Katara said. Darya stood up, encouraging the wolfbat to stand with her. The creature, a lighter brown than the others they had seen, stood up slowly and gently put weight on its leg. It stood for a moment before its tail wagged wildly and it leapt onto Darya.

"Darya!" Aang, Katara, and Sokka yelped. However, the peals of laughter rising from Darya showed she was in no danger. The wolfbat had her pinned down and was licking her face while it wagged its tail. Darya pushed it off and stood up, patting its head as it leapt into the air. It flew around them in a circle and landed next to Katara. Katara let out a slight 'oh!' of surprise as the wolfbat gave her hand a lick and then pranced back to Darya.

"I'd take that as a thank you." Darya giggled, joining her friends. They all laughed as the wolfbat stuck close to Darya's side.

"Hey Sokka, why's your forehead all red?" Katara asked, finally getting a good look at her brother. Sokka opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, Chong interrupted him.

"Nobody react to what I'm about to tell you, but I think that kid might be the Avatar." Sokka smacked his head, giving Katara all the answer she needed.

"Sokka," Chong said, pulling away and placing his flower necklace around Sokka then pulling him into a hug. "I hope you learned a little something about not letting the plans get in the way of the journey."

Darya and Katara snickered as Sokka's face grew red.

"Just play your songs." He grumbled. Chong pulled back, keeping his hands on Sokka's shoulders.

"Hey, good plan!" Chong turned away, following behind the other nomads.

 _Even if you're lost you can't,_

 _Lose the love because,_

 _It's in your heart._

 _Oooooohhhh…_

"Agni, I thought that would never end." Darya said, stretching her hands high into the air, her back popping. "Now let's get to Omashu so we can relax."

As she led the group away, she shuddered slightly, thinking of seeing King Bumi and his monstrous pet again. _Ah well,_ she thought. She hadn't enjoyed her time encased in rock candy, but at least she'd gotten a good snack out of it. _And now I've got a monstrous pet of my own_ , she thought, giving the wolfbat another scratch behind the ear. It gave her a toothy grin in response.

As they climbed the last ridge that barred their view of Omashu, Sokka ran ahead of her.

"The journey was long and annoying, but now we get to see what it's really about – the destination." He said as he scrambled up the rock.

"I present to you the Earth Kingdom city of O-" He cut himself off, and Darya leapt up next to him to see why, the smell of smoke wafting into her nostrils.

"No . . ." She whispered, unable to accept what she was seeing.

The once proud city of Omashu was covered in smoke. Scaffolding encased the crumbling walls and huge wooden bridges jutted out over the deep chasm. The worst of all was the stench of smoke and the huge red and black flag that hung over the entrance to the city. The Fire Nation flag swayed in the breeze, its black flame emblem seemed alive. It accentuated how the once green front gate was now painted red. Darya felt her heart stop. This couldn't possibly be true. The Fire Nation had attacked once more.

 _A/N: This was one of my favorite chapters to write so far! I've been mulling over the idea of Darya gaining a pet, but I wasn't sure what it would be/when it would happen. Then this little wolfbat just came along! So, just a heads up with some future chapters, I have everything planned out but I'm having trouble deciding what to do for "Avatar Day". I have something, but it would make a very short chapter. So I'd love some opinions, should I skip writing that chapter and have some flashbacks like I've been doing with Jet and King Bumi, or should I make it an entire chapter? Let me know and get ready for the next chapter where Darya and Azula will begin the start of a beautiful friendship (lots of sarcasm there!)_


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